Direct questioning may put the adolescent on the defensive, especially if they are trying to cope with multiple stressors. Nurses' ability to interact with adolescents will be enhanced by increasing their knowledge of adolescents. Adolescents develop and mature in varying ways. By understanding how adolescents think, nurses can formulate developmentally appropriate responses to adolescent patients. Adolescents also need to be viewed in the context of their total environment.
Many behaviors are the end result of multiple influences, i.e., socioeconomic, family dynamics, etc.
If an adolescent you are working with is experiencing a problem that doesn't lessen or resolve, look to other factors that may be influencing the adolescent's actions. For example, an adolescent who is working a full-time job to help support his family may not be a star student, or an adolescent with a high level of absenteeism and behavioral problems at school may be trying to conceal that he or she is homeless. In addition, peers exert great influence in adolescence. The results of this influence can be as innocuous as what clothes are worn to school or as serious as drug use. The impact of the media in adolescents' life also cannot be overlooked.