Problems of Adolescents
a) Social Problems
i) Poverty i.e. their needs
are not sufficiently catered
for, leaving them in a state
of psychological ill-health
ii) Lack of guidance and
counselling
iii) Cultural influences
from the mass media- the
“band wagon effect”
iv) Wars, HIV/AIDS- no
body to help them go through
certain stages of life
b. Teenage pregnancy
 World Population Report, 2013,
every day, 20,000 girls below age 18
give birth in developing countries
 Girls under the years of 15 account
for two million of the annual 7.3
million new adolescent mothers
worldwide
 number of births to girls under 15
could rise to three million by 2030
 About 70,000 adolescents in
developing countries die annually of
causes related to pregnancy and
childbirth
 Teenage pregnancy…
• United Nations Population
Fund (Unfpa), shows that in
every region of the world,
impoverished, poorly
educated and rural girls are
more likely to become
pregnant than their wealthier,
urban, and more educated
counterparts
• Uganda Demographic Health
Survey 2011, about 24% of
female teenagers in Uganda are
either pregnant or have given
birth already
• Ministry of Health November
2013 on teenage pregnancies
highlights the fact that teenage
pregnancies in Uganda are one
of the highest in East and
southern Africa
• out of the 1,000 female
adolescents, 135 are mothers
• teenage mothers subsequently
face social stigmatization, lack
of financial and social support
and insecurity
 Why is teenage pregnancy and sex an issue of
contention
1.Today’s adolescents believe that premarital sex is acceptable.
This is largely due to westernization and sophisticated lifestyles
accorded by industrialization and technological advancement.
2.A large number of sexually active adolescents fail to use
contraceptives, despite campaigns to use them.
3.Adolescents are at high risks of contracting STIs including
HIV/AIDS. This is because they are not physically fully
developed and they lack negotiation skills. Studies show that
adolescent girls are six times more than boys at a risk of
contracting STIs including HIV/AIDS, because of their biological
make up.
• Why do teenagers fail to use contraceptives,
despite campaigns to Use them??
 Why is teenage pregnancy and sex an issue of
contention

1.Today’s adolescents believe that premarital sex is acceptable

• -largely due to westernization and sophisticated lifestyles accorded by industrialization and
technological advancement
2. A large number of sexually active adolescents fail to use contraceptives, despite campaigns to
use them
Qn: What factors prevent adolescents from using contraceptives??
3. Adolescents are at high risks of contracting STIs including HIV/AIDS
• because they are not physically fully developed and lack negotiation skills
• Studies show that adolescent girls are six times more than boys at a risk of contracting STIs
including HIV/AIDS, because of their biological make up
4. Many adolescent girls get pregnant: because this is usually sudden and unplanned for, and for
the fear of the wrath of parents, they try to end such pregnancies in backdoor clinics using very
crude methods
 Sometimes this leads to irreparable / permanent damage to their reproductive health or even
death
5. Pregnancy leads to interruption in Education
 Why is teenage pregnancy and sex an issue of
contention
6. Adolescent mothers are more likely than
mature mothers to be poorly nourished, receive
inadequate prenatal care and consequently
experience birth complications or deliver pre-
term babies
 Studies show that children born to teenage
girls often show evidence of intellectual
deficit, emotional disturbances, poor peer
relations and poor academic achievement
Qn: How would a counsellor help teenagers avoid pregnancy
during school times?
• Recreation-sports and games
• Should find a hobby for themselves
• Behave well in mixed group
• Never keep company with people who abuse
psychoactive drugs-your choice of friends usually affects
how you are treated
• Be careful how they dress-the way you dress can attract
attention to your body and the way one dresses usually
reflects the type of person one is and can be wrongfully
interpreted thus leading into problems
• Avoid arousing boys/men
Why adolescents are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
• Physical, psychological, social
attributes of adolescents make them
particularly vulnerable to HIV and
other STIs
• They are often not able to
comprehend fully the extent of their
exposure to risk
• Societies too often compound
adolescents’ risk by making it difficult
for them to learn about HIV and
reproductive health
• Many adolescents are socially
inexperienced and depend on others.
Peer pressure easily influences them
in ways that can increase the risk of
catching HIV
• They often lack adequate knowledge
on HIV transmission and how
infection can be avoided
• Many adolescents harbor
misconceptions about the disease
• Ugandan youth begin sexual activity
at fairly young age and with little
information on sexuality
• Often times, they have limited access
to health services and there is
general lack of friendliness of health
services to them
• A large population of adolescents
experience orphan hood at a time
when parental guidance and
socialization are needed most
• Failure of the traditional support
system to cope with the pressure of
caring for the orphans has
contributed to an increase in the
number of street children and the
consequences that go with it
 What can adolescents do to protect themselves from
HIV?
• Adopt and practice safe behaviours to avoid
contracting HIV.
• Commit themselves to responsible decision
making about their sexual behavior
• Positively influence their peer’s behaviours.
• Learn all the facts about HIV/AIDS, how it is spread
and how it can be avoided.
• Get to know and respect their bodies.
• Listen to advice from parents, teachers, elders.
• Get involved in activities against HIV/AIDS
 c)Juvenile Delinquency
• Normally these are minors who have been found
guilty of an offence punishable by the law, such as
rape, murder, robbery, etc.
• He or she cannot be held for his action because
he/she is under age and usually, the punishment is
lenient
• Another category is those who run away from
home e.g. street children
Usually, reformation schools are built to
rehabilitate them with a view of making them lead
a productive and law abiding life
 Types of Juvenile Offenses
i) Status offenses - behaviours that are illegal
when engaged in by minors but perfectly
legal for adults, e.g. running away from
home, truancy, etc
ii) ii) Index offences - behaviours that are
criminal at any age e.g. homicide, rape,
robbery, burglary use and sell of illegal drugs,
prostitution, etc.
 Characteristics of delinquent adolescents
• Academic skills- Delinquents fall behind
their peers in achievement at school. They
are more likely to drop out and less likely
to be involved in school activities
• Self-esteem: Delinquents typically have
low self-esteem and poor self-image. They
are less apt than their peers to see
themselves as competent and successful
• Family relations-Delinquents come from
homes characterized by violence and
many are victims of child abuse or neglect
or both. Poor communication, excessively
harsh punishments and parental strife are
common in their families. Parental
rejection is consistently related to
delinquency
 Social skills- Delinquents are more
aggressive than their peers and more
likely to rely on physical than verbal
means to settle disagreements. They
also have poor problem solving skills
that their peers
 Self-control- They are more impulsive
and less likely to rely on internalized
constraints for behaviour than their
peers. Much express little guilt for
their actions and as a group, their
presence in a community can be
disastrous
• Qn: What delinquent behaviors are common
in Ugandan schools?
 d) Drug and substance abuse
 Prevalence of substances in community
 Experimentation
 Copy from adults
 Advertisements that make substances glamorous
 Peer pressure
 Boost low self esteem.
 Dull pain
 Feel more confident
 Compensation for poor social skills
 Media influence
 Sports/recreation
 Family disintegration/dysfucntion

Qn: Discuss how to prevent/control drug/substance use among

students
 how to prevent/control drug/substance use among students

• Engaging them in activity

• Law enforcement
• Teaching them about side effects
• BMTs
• Restrictions
• Role play
• Exemplification
• Just treatment of students, being fair…
• Religion
• Guidance and counselling
• Teacher-parent collaboration
• Discourage peer influence
• Monitoring
• Etc.
 Sexuality Education
• How ones sex affects feelings, emotions, reactions…
• Providing information and ideas to individuals…
• i. Sexual health
• ii. Preventing negative consequences of sexual
activities and enhancing a future healthy
reproductive life
• Sexuality education is a way of assisting young
people in understanding a positive view of sexuality
by providing them with information and skills about
taking care of their sexual health and making
productive decisions
• To what extent do you agree that sexuality
education should be part of the secondary
school curriculum?
 Sexuality Education…ISSUES?
• -Cross-generational sex • Body hygiene
• -Pornography • -Secondary Sexual
• -Relationships-dating, Characteristics
• -Drug abuse • -Contraceptive use
• -Female genital mutilation • -Peer influence-want to belong
• -Circumcision to a group
• -Norms and misconceptions about • -Cultural influence
sex • -Political Ideas*
• -Abstinence
• -Life skills
• -Oral sex-
• -Same sex relationships
• -Sexual Reproductive Health Issues
• -Adolescence
• -Rape-how to avoid rape
• • -Positive sexuality-children to
-STIs-how transmitted
advise others
• -Dressing code
• -Sexual maturity
 Sexuality Education…ISSUES?
• -Role modeling
• -Girl child education*
• -Attention seeking behaviour
• -Teacher-student relationships
• -Gender roles
• -Life planning skills
• -Consequences and dangers of premarital sex
• -Abortion and its consequences
• -Early marriages and consequences
• -Transactional relation-material oriented sex

Note: Sexuality education includes a broad range of life enhancing

skills
 Life skills – 1. Head
a) Thinking: Learning to use your mind to
form ideas and make decisions, to
imagine, to examine carefully, and to
consider. Specific life skill that help you
learn to think are:
• Learning to Learn - acquiring,
evaluating, and using information.
• Decision Making - choosing among
several alternatives
• Problem solving - clearly identifying a
problem and a plan of action for
solving that problem
• Critical Thinking - thinking things over
in one’s mind; deciding what to do
• Service Learning - gaining skills and
experience by active participation in
community activities
b) Managing: Learning to use resources
wisely to accomplish a goal. Specific
life skills:
• Goal Setting - deciding on the end
product or result; something
toward which to work
• Planning or Organizing - a method
for doing something that has been
thought of ahead of time
• Wise Use of Resources - using
sound judgment; not being
wasteful; managing personal
finances
• Resiliency - being able to deal with
change; overcoming problems and
difficulties.
 Life Skills – 2. HEART

a) Relating: Learning to get along with b) Caring: Learning how to show

other people
• Effective Communication - and affection for others:
exchanging thoughts, ideas,
information or messages in a way
that respectful (Communication
includes speaking and listening)
• Cooperation - working or acting
together toward a common purpose
• Social Skills - showing respect and
consideration for others
• Conflict Resolution - finding and
using ways to resolve differences
between two or more person; getting
along with others.
understanding, kindness, concern,
• Concern for Others - caring
about and giving attention to the
well being of others
• Empathy - being sensitive to
another person’s situation and
feelings
• Sharing - having, using or doing
together with others
• Nurturing Relationships -
providing care and attention to
another person
 Life Skills – 3. HANDS
a) Giving: Learning to provide; supply or b) Working: Learning physical or
make something happen: mental effort needed to accomplish
•
something:
Community Service and Volunteering -
giving one’s time and effort to help,
doing something that makes a
difference in someone’s life without
expecting a reward.
• Marketable Skill - developing
•
the abilities to accomplish
Leadership - helping a group reach
its goals by showing or directing the something
way. • Teamwork-two or more people
• Responsible Citizenship - being working together to
involved in one’s town, state or country. accomplish all parts of a task.
• Contributions to Group Efforts - • Self-motivation - being able to
sharing the responsibility of make the effort needed to
accomplishing the goal. carry out a task or a plan.
 Life Skills – 4. HEALTH
a) Learning to live freely without disease
or injury; having a sound condition of
the body and mind:
• Healthy Lifestyle Choices - includes
eating right, exercising regularly, getting
enough rest, and resisting harmful
activities (alcohol, drugs, smoking).
•Stress management - learning positive
ways of managing stress.
•Disease Prevention - taking care of one’s
body and avoiding risky situations.
•Personal Safety - taking care to avoid
danger, risk or harm; being cautious and
careful so as to remain physically and
emotionally safe.
b) Being: Learning to be all that you can
be; taking delight in who you are as a
person:
• Self-esteem -taking pride in oneself,
valuing one’s self and understanding
one’s abilities.
• Self-responsibility - taking care of
one’s self and being accountable for
one’s behaviour.
• Character - managing one’s own
emotions and being sensitive to
others’ feelings.
• Self-discipline - exercising self-
control that is in line with what is
right or wrong.
END OF COURSE