NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

April 29, 1999

Communication, Collaboration Keys to Curbing Adolescent Violence

There is no universal solution for preventing the type of adolescent violence recently unleashed at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., and in other schools and communities in recent years. But there are several strategies that adults can use to help teens deal with the emotional challenges they face, say two educators at North Dakota State University. They cite communication and collaboration as being key components of any successful effort.

"The only way parents can direct their children away from negative influences, such as the gratuitous violence portrayed in the media, is if they know what their children are doing," says Sean Brotherson, family science specialist with the NDSU Extension Service. "This is where effective two-way communication comes into play. Parents need to establish a warm relationship with their kids, one where the kids can open up and express their concerns and frustrations."

One of the challenges facing adolescents is learning to deal with conflict—conflict with their peers and with adults. An integral part of this development involves learning to regulate emotions, especially anger, says Everett Bailey, assistant professor in NDSU's child development and family science department.

Along with discussing their children's emotions with them, parents can help teach their children to manage their emotions by sending the message that it's OK to have negative emotions such as anger, Bailey says. But parents also need to model appropriate behavior to teach children how to deal with their anger. This includes teaching children to work through difficult situations and develop problem-solving abilities.

"There are some children who are highly challenging," Brotherson says. "Families may need professional assistance with these children."

Conflicts between children and parents can arise when parenting styles and children's temperaments clash, Bailey says. For example, in situations where parents demand too much control, children may look to their peers or other outlets for venting their frustration and anger. He adds, "Parents need to be firm, absolutely, but if that's not done in the context of a warm, caring environment, it's going to exacerbate the situation."

If through their monitoring parents sense that their child needs direction, it is their responsibility to get that child involved in an activity which reflects his or her interests, Bailey says. Parents with older children who don't respect their authority may need to rely on family counseling.

Brotherson says research shows that the greatest level of violence among adolescents occurs in the seventh and eighth grades. From there, violence tends to decline because students generally become more involved in extracurricular activities, and these activities reduce the potential for their engaging in negative behaviors. So, aggression and violence occurring in the later grades of high school may be a red flag.

Parents should not fear speaking up if they sense potential behavioral problems in their own children or their children's peers, Bailey says. Better communication can lead to effective collaboration. For intervention to succeed, there needs to be a general improvement in the collaboration among parents, schools, community resources and law enforcement.

Bailey concludes, "School administrators need to establish policies that allow faculty to identify behavioral concerns and work on solutions with parents and other groups such as social service agencies."

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Sources: Sean Brotherson (701) 231-6143 and Everett Bailey (701) 231-8742

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136