Alcohol abuse and the elderly
Patterson and Jeste (1999) explain that little research has been done to describe the connection between old age and alcohol abuse. In one of their findings, they noted that heavy drinking was more prevalent in people aged over 65 by 9 percent. Similarly, in their article, they show that older people living in the community are more susceptible to alcohol abuse than those who are in a health care facility. Patterson and Jeste (1999) point out that the high prevalence of alcohol abuse will increase in the future. This happens due to the heavy drinking habits of the baby boomers.
Trauma and Juvenile Delinquency
Rantalikallio et al. (1992) explain that society has put less emphasis on the child’s future development after the perinatal period. Through extensive research has been done focusing on the biological, social, and psychological factors, little has been done in areas such as somatic, psycho-motor, and mental development of a child. Thus, the lack of comprehensive research in these areas has created a gap in coming up with strategies for containing trauma and juvenile delinquency.
Rantalikallio et al. (1992) point out that trauma and juvenile delinquencies arise because of the underlying perinatal problems. These problems are further fixed through behavioral challenges such as brain damage, epilepsy, and the central nervous system.
Drinking and driving among teens and young adult population
Shope and Bingham (2008) explain that car accidents among the young adult population in the US are serious. In their research findings, they showed that car accidents involving teens in the US in 2004 accounted for 14 percent of all deaths for people aged from 13 to 19 years. Similarly, young adults accounted for 15 percent of unintentional injuries in the US. Though driving under the influence of alcohol is a major basis of teens causing accidents and other injuries, Shope and Bingham (2008) cite other factors such as night time driving, personality, behavior, driving ability, developmental and demographic, contribute to young adults accidents..
Depression and the elderly who live alone
Society is experiencing high rates of an aging population suffering from depression. Rather than being seen as an opportunity to relax and lead a less challenging lifestyle, Misra and Singh (2009) point out that elderly people often face many challenges such as psychological, physical, and social role changes that redefine their sense of self capacity to lead a happy life. The condition becomes worse in case individual lives alone (Misra& Singh, 2009). Such people experience loneliness because of weak family and community ties.
Human Trafficking of Adolescent Females in the US
Trafficking of girls below the age of 18 is a major issue in the US. The girls being trafficked come from vulnerable families such as families with domestic violence history, abuse, and poverty. Besides, Hanna (2002) indicates that domestic trafficking of girls in the US is a complex phenomenon to understand because prostitution, which involves pornography, has traditionally divided feminist activists and scholars. Similarly, Hanna (2002) notes that the domestic trafficking of girls is a reflection of a bigger problem engulfing American society and politics. This happens because the feminist-inspired literature on adolescents and the sex industry has pointed out different ways the adolescents are exploited, however, the decision-makers have failed to use the opportunity to eliminate the vice.
Reference List
Hanna, C (2002). Somebody’s Daughter: The Domestic Traffickingof Girls for the Commercial Sex Industry and the Power of Love, William& Mary Journal of Women and the Law, 9 (1), 1-30.
Misra, N. and Singh, A. (2009). Loneliness, Depression and Sociability in old age, Ind Psychiatry, 18 (1), 51-55. Web.
Patterson, T. L., & Jeste, D. V. (1999). The potential impact of the baby-boom generation on substance abuse among elderly persons. Psychiatric Services, 50 (9), 1184-1188.
Rantalikallio, P., Koiranen, M., and Mottonen J. (1992). Association of perinatal events, epilepsy, and central nervous system trauma with juvenile delinquency. Arch Dis Child,67,1459-1461. Web.
Shope, J.T., and Bingham, R. (2008). Teen Driving: Motor- Vehicle Crashes and Factors that Contribute, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35 (88), 261- 268. Web.