Range of Contemporary Issues Teenagers Face Today

Teenagers deal with serious issues daily, as this is the most challenging development period. Teenagers go through some challenging internal and external battles during this time. They experience puberty, hormonal changes, social and family demands, and employment and academic pressures, which they are expected to handle. Since most adolescents frequently feel misunderstood, it is necessary to evaluate the issues they face and their external stressors to find solutions to them. This paper analyzes the issue of substance use in adolescents and the associated external stressors. There is also a description of assessment strategies to screen for the issue and support options for adolescents experiencing external stressors associated with substance abuse.

Contemporary Issue and Associated External Stressors

Adolescent substance use can range from occasional experimentation to serious substance use problems. The most commonly abused drug in adolescents is alcohol, followed by other drugs like cannabis, tobacco, and opioids (Halladay et al., 2020). Adolescents who use any substance, even experimental substance use, are susceptible to short-term issues like overdosing, fights, accidents, and inappropriate sexual activities. They are also at higher risk of developing long-term effects such as higher addiction rates, substance use disorder, academic underachievement, and mental health disorders. Childhood maltreatment is the most common external stressor associated with substance abuse in adolescents. Children who are physically abused or neglected by their parents are more likely to experience trauma and often turn to substance abuse as a coping strategy to deal with trauma. Sexual abuse is also an external stressor associated with substance abuse in adolescents. It has been shown that female adolescents who have been victims of sexual abuse are more likely to abuse drugs (Leban & Gibson, 2020). Peer pressure also plays a role in substance use. Adolescents who associate with peers who engage in substance abuse are more likely to abuse drugs to increase their popularity in peer groups.