NRS-434V Adolescence: Contemporary Issues and Resources Solved
In a 500-750-word paper, choose one issue (besides teen pregnancy) and discuss its effect on adolescent behavior and overall well-being. Include the following in your submission:
- Describe the contemporary issue and explain what external stressors are associated with this issue.
- Outline assessment strategies to screen for this issue and external stressors during an assessment for an adolescent patient. Describe what additional assessment questions you would need to ask and define the ethical parameters regarding what you can and cannot share with the parent or guardian.
- Discuss support options for adolescents encountering external stressors. Include specific support options for the contemporary issue you presented.
Adolescence: Contemporary Issues and Resources
Teenagers experience a lot of challenges, especially with technological developments. Life has changed completely and the experiences of the current teenagers are different from what the past generations encountered. On the other hand, societal changes such as the advent of the internet and technological developments have improved the quality of life; though, there are also serious challenges that have erupted. A major issue of interest, in this case, is bullying in schools which may result in detrimental outcomes for the teenagers. On the other hand, parents have been more preoccupied with the work responsibilities and so have little time to discuss with their children issues facing them. The bullying practices have been propagated by the increased exposure to internet among the teenagers.
Bullying as a Contemporary Issue and External Stressors
Bullying refers to aggressive behavior towards teenagers. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that about 20% of teens in the United States have suffered bullying. Cyberbullying has become a common norm in the current society that must be addressed in time. According to Hong et al. (2019), bullying is recognized as a major public health issue that affects many children and requires properly coordinated attention from both the parents and the school administration. Bullying is multifaceted and may exist in form of physical torture or emotional aggression including mockery and teasing among others. Furthermore, the study reports that the victims of bullying are more likely to develop depression, sleep disturbances, suicidal ideation, and anxiety among other health issues. For example, body shaming could result in low self-esteem and isolation among the victims that could eventually result in depression (Shahrour et al., 2020).
Unfortunately, the health consequences associated with bullying could extend to adulthood and this compromises the quality of life of the victims. Besides, children with other underlying conditions including asthma, hearing loss, obesity, and mental health problems are more vulnerable to bullying which could jeopardize their health outcomes (Hong et al., 2019).
Assessment strategies to screen for this issue and external stressors
All children in the hospital should be screened for bullying because some of them are afraid to disclose their experiences to the parents. Many cases of bullying are likely to go unrecognized due to the disclosure behavior among the children. As a result, the healthcare providers have the responsibility to identify possible cases of bullying among the teenagers using the home environment, education, and employment, eating, peer-related activities, drugs, sexuality, suicide/depression (HEEADSSS) tool (Smith & McGuinness, 2017). The tool is comprehensive as it explores various aspects of the child’s health and increases the likelihood of identifying the victims of bullying.
Besides, the children should be assessed for signs of depression and suicidal ideation. Other than identifying the existence or lack of bully experiences, understanding the emotional and psychological health of the child is important. Though, the assessment should be conducted by ethical guidelines and principles. Surveys and questionnaires can also be used to gather more information on the child-parent relationship. All patients have the right to confidentiality; however, they are under the custody of their parents and this means that their health information may be shared with their parents.
Support Options for Adolescents Encountering External Stressors
There is a need to create awareness of bullying among teenagers so that they can identify such incidences and seek help in time. There are cases where the bully-victims get stigmatized and so fail to seek help as required. Letting teenagers understand that they can always share their issues and get help is important. The first line of support for the children is parents. Parents should be informed of the need to interact with their children and identify signs of bullying. Unfortunately, some parents spend most of their time in the workplace and so have little time with their children. However, educating them on the importance of proper parenting could help address the issue. Secondly, the healthcare institutions should have hotline numbers where the victims can also call to seek help.
Conclusion
Bullying is rampant and requires urgent intervention. Bullying results in various health issues including depression, low self-esteem, sleep disturbances, poor eating habits, and anxiety among others. Parents should always check on their children to identify signs of depression and bully experiences and address them in time. Furthermore, healthcare institutions should screen all the children and ensure they are safe from bullying.
References
Hong, J. S., Espelage, D. L., & Rose, C. A. (2019). Bullying, peer victimization, and child and adolescent health: An introduction to the special issue. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(9), 2329-2334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01502-9
Shahrour, G., Dardas, L. A., Al-Khayat, A., & Al-Qasem, A. (2020). Prevalence correlates, and experiences of school bullying among adolescents: A national study in Jordan. School Psychology International, 41(5), 430-453. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320943923
Smith, G. L., & McGuinness, T. M. (2017). Adolescent psychosocial assessment: The HEEADSSS. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(5), 24-27. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20170420-03
The adolescence period marks the transition between childhood and adulthood with ages between 12 and 20 as the hallmark. This period is marked by changes in various aspects of life that determine behavior and interactions. Some of the noticeable changes in adolescence include physical, psychological, sexual, cognitive, and emotional changes that may cause anxiety and anticipation for both the family and the individual (Bernaras et al., 2019). These changes further affect the behavior and thinking of adolescents and can result in various contemporary issues. Among the many contemporary issues, teenage depression is a common issue yet given minimal attention in various settings (World Health Organization, 2021). Addressing teenage depression is paramount to prevent reoccurrence as well as improve the health of teenagers as they transform into adulthood. Therefore, this current paper will address various issues regarding teenage depression including a description of the issue, external stressors, assessment strategies, and support options for adolescents with depression.
Teenage Depression
Depression is among the major contemporary issues affecting teenagers as much as it is affecting many people worldwide. Teenagers with depression often feel sad, lose interest in pleasurable activities, loss of energy, reduced self-esteem, and are at increased risk of committing suicide. In addition to feeling sad, depression affects the functional, physical, and emotions of an individual. Depression continues to affect many people with over 300 million people affected worldwide as presented in the World Health Organization report (WHO, 2021). Furthermore, a report by Mental Health America indicates an increase in the prevalence of depression among youth to 9.7% from 9.2% in 2020; with around 3.2 million teens experiencing an episode of major depressive episodes. Sadly, up to 60% of teens with depression are not receiving any form of treatment with most youths defaulting to the treatment options available (Selph & McDonagh, 2019). These trends indicate the risk of increasing the prevalence as well as poor health outcomes if the issue is not addressed sufficiently. According to America`s Health Rankings (2021), cases of suicide due to depression are likely to increase in the future among teens.
External Stressors.
Several external stressors have been identified to e associated with depression in teenagers. Bullying which can occur in the form of an emotional or physical kind is one of the external stressors. Teenagers especially those with issues such as obesity, disability, gender minority groups, or minority ethnics face either verbal or physical bullying each day (Selph & McDonagh, 2019). Additionally, the rise of the use of the internet has also contributed to more cases of bullying with cyberbullying becoming a menace in society. Regardless of either form of bullying experienced, the victims are usually deeply, increasing their risk of developing depression (Bernaras et al., 2019). Family crisis in the form of parents` separation, divorce, or violent livelihoods. Any form of family disharmony affects the teenagers most and acts as a stressor to depression. Finally, other stressors include peer pressure, pressure for excelling in academics, drug abuse, and stigma stressors contributing to depression.
Assessment Strategies
Like assessments for other conditions, assessing depression is no different. The head-to-toe assessment in terms of history and physical examination is followed. History will help the nurse in identifying the various stressors, effects, and potential complications that accompany depression (Bernaras et al., 2019). Using the best communication strategy and active engagement of the patient will help in finding a good history. Sometimes, close family members are included to corroborate the history. In addition to history, a head-to-toe assessment should follow to highlight various issues that may present in depressed individuals. Keen observation of the mood, behavior, interactions, and conversation. Checking for vital signs and other problems related to physical, emotional, and functional should be assessed. Conducting a mental status examination will enable the nurse to identify the various aspects of health in teenagers with depression. Features of depression such as low mood, suicide ideation, impaired judgment, slowed thinking and speech, and troubles in thinking and concentration which are common in depression can be assessed during a mental state exam.
After completing the assessment, the patient should be educated about confidentiality affirming the need to keep patient information private. Confidentiality is among the ethical principles that protect sharing of information without patient consent. Both guardians and patients should understand its importance (Bernaras et al., 2019). However, a breach of confidentiality may happen in the case of depressed individuals’ intent to harm themselves or harm others. Committing suicide is the most common self-harm activity among teenagers with depression and a major cause of death in this population. Patients should be made aware of instances when information could be disclosed without their consent.
Support Options
Enhancing education and the development of skills are major support options for adolescents. Developing programs at the school or society level that educate teenagers on how to deal with various stressors is important (Vidal et al., 2020). Such education help teenagers cope with stressors such as bullying and prevent cases of depression. Besides, the education sessions help in the identification of at-risk populations who can benefit from early interventions. Parents and teachers should also be included in the education sessions to enhance their understanding of depression which will enable them to assess teenagers suffering from depression. In addition, the provision of peer support through social groups can enable teenagers to learn from the experiences of others and help them cope with depression when it happens (Vidal et al., 2020). Such sessions help victims access quality care that helps in attaining speedy recovery.
References
AHR. (2021). Explore depression in Florida. America’s Health Rankings. https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Depression_a/state/FL
Bernaras, E., Jaureguizar, J., & Garaigordobil, M. (2019). Child and adolescent depression: A review of theories, evaluation instruments, prevention programs, and treatments. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 543. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00543
Selph, S. S., & McDonagh, M. S. (2019). Depression in children and adolescents: Evaluation and treatment. American Family Physician, 100(10), 609–617. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31730312/
Vidal, C., Lhaksampa, T., Miller, L., & Platt, R. (2020). Social media use and depression in adolescents: a scoping review. International Review of Psychiatry (Abingdon, England), 32(3), 235–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2020.1720623
World Health Organization. (2021). Adolescent mental health. Who.int. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health