Bridging Positive Youth Development and Mental Health Services for Youth with Serious Behavior Problems

Abstract

Youth development approaches have grown in popularity, yet the appropriateness of these strategies for adolescents with serious behavior problems has rarely been addressed. Life-course research examining the onset and developmental course of problem behaviors suggests that youth with different patterns of behavior problems may not equally benefit from youth development interventions. This paper reviews contemporary perspectives on the positive youth development approach in light of multidisciplinary lifecourse research regarding the development of disruptive behavior problems. The wraparound case-management model is described as a potential framework for applying this research to support youth with serious behavior problems.Keywords Youth development Á Youth violence Á Child mental health services Á Juvenile justice Á Wraparound Positive youth development is an ecological, asset-based approach that promotes healthy human development through supportive environments and community connections (Hamilton et al. 2004). Positive youth development programs have surged in popularity over the last 15 years. In the late 1990s, more than 500 national and 17,000 local and state programs were identified as youth development programs (Erickson 1998), and the number has been on the rise ever since. Youth development approaches are also becoming more commonly used for adolescents with serious behavior problems, including those involved with the juvenile justice system (Barton 2004). The appeal of these programs appears to stem from their focus on youths' assets rather than deficits, and a positive rather than a problem-centered approach. Another contributing factor may be the growing body of

Resilience as a Positive Youth Development Construct: A Conceptual Review

“…A notable instance of asset building happens in the caring school, which provides opportunities or challenges for realizing resilience [ 44 ]. Secondly, the inclusiveness model, which incorporates the asset building approach, holds that resilience is particularly a constituent of positive youth development in an inclusive or comprehensive way [ 45 ]. As such, the inclusiveness model regards resilience as the key to relationship building and engagement of social support, which defines the inclusiveness required for positive youth development.…”

“…Therefore, resilience represents a mental force to engender positive youth development through need fulfillment. The problem-avoidance model, alternatively, posits that resilience is a necessary condition for positive youth development [ 45 ]. As such, positive youth development is only possible in the absence of problems, as problems are usually impediments to learning and growth.…”

Trajectories of Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior

“…These approaches may also inform the creation or selection of different preventive interventions that target problem behaviors during adolescence. Given the emerging evidence that the effectiveness of a given intervention may vary by the developmental trajectory of the adolescent's aggression, it is likely that the outcomes would be maximized if the intervention could be tailored to the adolescent's developmental profile (Bradshaw et al 2008). Additional empirical research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of various programs at preventing or stemming different patterns of behavior problems during adolescence.…”

Protocol: A grounded theory of ‘recovery’—perspectives of adolescent users of mental health services

“…1 2 These often tumultuous times are negotiated successfully by most adolescents. 3 A substantial minority, however, experience cognitive, affective and behavioural disturbances, some meeting diagnostic criteria for a ‘mental disorder’. While prevalence rates vary, mental disorders among young people are acknowledged as a global phenomenon, affecting up to 25% of adolescents in Australia and the UK.…”