College boys are just as likely to experience violence on campus as are college girls, according to a report in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"We've known that drinking increases the risk of perpetuating violence," said the study's leader, Professor Elizabeth Saewyc of the University of British Columbia. "In this study we found alcohol consumption puts both young men and women at higher risk of being victimized."

• The study found that 17 percent of college men and 16 percent of college women reported emotional or physical violence in the past six months.
• Half the emotional and 20 percent of the physical violence came from romantic partner.
• Sixty percent of the men reported violence associated with drinking, compared to only 30 percent of the females in the study.

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Labels: alcohol_abuse, college_students, violence

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Few people realize how prevalent physical abuse is in teen dating relationships. But not all abuse is physical, and not all scars are visible.

"Most see [emotional abuse] as just a control issue, even those being abused. That's what makes this abuse so scary, the fact that those involved may never speak up and may not even recognize that it is abuse."

A teenager who's endured an emotionally abusive relationship could carry the scars with her for the rest of her life. If your teenager, or a teen you know, is dating someone who isolates her, blames her for everything, demands to know where she is at all times, or withholds emotion as a form of punishment, the relationship is emotionally abusive and the teen should end the relationship immediately. Source: Standard-Examiner (Utah)

Labels: abuse, violence, relationships

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A residential school for Indian children in Salem, Oregon has seen a dramatic decrease in violence, drug use, and drinking since Marion County Sheriff's deputies started providing security. Since the beginning of 2006, deputies have patrolled the 400-acre Chemawa Indian School - home to 385 students from 62 tribes in 21 states.

"Fights dropped by half during the 2006-07 school year, compared with the year before, and assaults were reduced by 44 percent, according to the school's statistics. Drug and alcohol abuse also continued a years-long decline."

Though the students were initially apprehensive about the presence of the deputies, they've grown accustomed to having them around. Some of the deputies even help with student-related activities like football or wrestling.

Boarding schools for teens with substance abuse offer 12-step programs in addition to accredited academics. Visit BoardingSchoolsInfo to find a private school or residential treatment program today.

Labels: schools, violence, drug_use

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Teenagers often show up in emergency rooms of hospitals after drinking and getting injured in fights. Now a new study found that having these teens talk to a therapist for 30 minutes will reduce their chances participating in future physical violence by 70%.

"The leading cause of death for adolescents who reside in inner-city settings is violence and other injuries," said Maureen Walton, lead author of the study. "These adolescents are ... not likely to have a primary care physician, and the emergency room is a popular place for a variety of reasons. We decided this would be a good setting for prevention."

• Dr. Walton and her colleagues divided more than 700 teens (ages 14 to 18) who had visited an emergency in Flint, Michigan, into three groups.
• One group got a 30-minute talk with a therapist.
• The second group sat through a computer presentation.
• The third group received a brochure with referrals to community resources.

Six months later, those who talked to therapists showed a greater reduction in alcohol consequences compared to the other groups.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

Labels: alcohol, violence, therapy

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 1 Comment