Jonathon+Stinson+-+Relationship+Between+Mental+Health+and+Adolescents
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Relationship Between Self-Care and Adolescents
Jonathon Stinson
Department of English, Rock Valley College
ENG 103: Composition II
Professor Robert Mawyer 05/15/2023
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Relationship Between Self-Care and Adolescents Adolescents go through many important changes as they are developing over time. Those
changes include their physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. These changes can be very stressful for adolescents as this is the most critical part of their lives as they’re growing and developing. Self-Care in adolescents is very important as it promotes healthy wellbeing and positive mental health. Self-Care is the practice of promoting a positive mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Adolescents engage in these activities to help them as they are going through this important time in their lives. Family life and the way families operate, and function is also a key indicator to if the adolescent participates in self-care or not. According to Mahoney and Parente (2009) “
Family structure and networks are also associated with the prevalence of self-care. For example, among families in which the mother is employed, young adolescents from single-parent
families are more likely to experience self-care than are those living in intact, two-parent households” (p.2) With a healthy family with a good work life balance the adolescent is more likely to practice self-care with these parenting techniques. It can also promote a more positive feeling to their overall well-being and help them as they go through the stages of going from an adolescent to an adult. With the support of their parents during this difficult time of growth and maturity. Adolescents also need the support of there peers as they go through this challenging time in there lives of developing from an adolescent to an adult. As there brains continue to develop and mature it can be a very difficult time for them.
Self-Care in adolescents is something that really isn’t understood too well. And the goal of this study is to look more into the relationship between self-care and adolescents and how it affects them as they go through this developing stage of their life. This research also focuses on
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family relationships with adolescents and how that overall affects the adolescent’s ability to practice self-care and what that does to their emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing overall. For this study this was done through research through past studies that were done and library databases. Those databases included NCHI, Google Scholar, Springer, as well as some websites too. Through this research a hypothesis for the relationship between self-care and adolescents was concluded. The studies were selected based on its relationship to the research topic and how well it supported the thesis. The main criteria for this study was the age range had to be from 5 – 18 to gather as accurate findings as possible. Studies that were used all relate to self-care and adolescents and the factors that were chosen for this research study. Definitions and Factors of Self-Care in Adolescents
Physical Self-Care in Adolescents Staying active and participating in school activities such as gym or school sports has shown to promote a positive spike in young adolescents’ self-esteem and confidence. In a study that was conducted by Mingli Liu, Lang Wu, and Qingsen Ming in 2015 found that in a controlled group of 2,900 students their confidence increased by 95% after engaging in these activities. This was a controlled group of students that was monitored over the course of a few months. This positive feeling is caused by endorphins which are sent out by the brain to boost someone’s mood. According to Charlie Health (2021) “Exercise increases our heart rate, putting our body systems under stress. In turn, our brain floods our body with mood-boosting endorphins.” When an adolescent is engaging in these physical activities their brain is pumping out endorphins which in return gives them a positive feeling and boosts their confidence in themselves. And this is effectively promoting self-care because they are staying active and keeping their physical appearance in shape.
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Emotional Self-Care in Adolescents
Depression is on the rise amongst the younger generation and many adolescents around the teenage ages are going through emotional problems with many not wanting to get help. They don’t feel supported and this can be due to a bunch of different variable factors with some being from the pandemic that occurred in 2020. According to Rosa (2023) “
Emotional problems have been associated with the onset of adolescence, which has been defined as the age range between 10 and 19
years.” (p.3) With that in mind it is important for that age group to practice emotional self-care. According to Michelle Risser of Choosing Therapy she states that “Emotional self-care
is the act of nurturing and tending to your inner feelings and emotions.” With the world already being stressful enough, especially post pandemic, it can be easy for an adolescent to forget or not
have time to take care of themselves. Some of the best self-practices to help boost one’s emotional well-being is taking a few minutes every day for themselves or as a parent checking in
can be a big factor to the adolescents emotional wellbeing. While there going through this stressful time of maturing and growing up it’s good to have a support system. According to Xianglian in a study that was conducted in 2022 in China with a group of 752 middle schoolers, they found that by the students having supportive parents and what was labeled as a functioning family, whenever the student would go through a traumatic event and have someone to talk to about it, it boosted the student’s emotional wellbeing.
Self-Care in Adolescents and Academics
With Self-Care being so important, if it’s not taken care of it can affect an adolescent’s academic performance as they might not be focused on their academics and rather something else that is going on. Adolescents can go through a stressful time while there in school, having to make friends, social connections, and going to class and learning can be very stressful for an
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adolescent to go through all of that. According to Newman University students should try to practice getting more sleep as this leads them to having more energy and staying alert in class. In
fact, a study that was done by O’neil, Slater, and Brett found that students who practiced self-
care also had lower academic stress as time went on. (Newman University) Students should practice self-care so they can perform better academically. They can do so by staying active, getting more sleep, change of diet, and many other self-care tactics to help get them through school. Academics can be challenging for adolescents so it’s important for them to feel supported as they go through their education and continue to develop and mature their brains and
mindsets. Adolescents should have access to various different resources to help with their emotional, mental and physical well-being. The resources should be able to provide a positive outlook for the adolescents. Adolescent Self Care and Peer Relationships
Mental Help (2009) “Therefore, as teens'
emotional maturity
increases their relationships with their peers change as they become more vulnerable and emotionally intimate with their peers. This increased vulnerability and intimacy requires greater trust among peers.” With adolescents becoming increasingly more social, especially in their teenage years thanks to the likes of social media. It is easier to stay connected than ever before. Which can really take a toll on an adolescent’s mental health. And affect their emotional and mental wellbeing. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2018) Over 51% of the US population
of teenagers aged 13-17 use social media at least once a day. Which can really take a toll if they’re not careful. Seeing likes and what their friends are up to or what others look like compared to them can really cause a downward spiral and be stressful in a developing teen. There are some benefits that the AACAP lists like self-expression and being able to be yourself
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as well as meet new friends. According to the Therapy Center adolescents should try to go outside and turn their notifications on silent at least once a day. Adolescents should also regularly
check in with themselves or their peers and make sure they’re okay. Self-Care in Younger Adolescents Self-Care in younger adolescents aged 5 -10 is a demographic that has been monitored because of some risk of emotional behavior and rising depression rates. According to the ACF (2023) “. Research has now shown that there are major changes in brain architecture that occur during adolescence, making interventions at this age important and timely.” During this time for adolescents there brains are developing and maturing. And this is the most important time to practice self-care otherwise it can cause problems such as not being able to pay attention in school or even issues with the adolescent emotional and mental behavior. According to a study done by Michael O Ogundele found that 5 – 15% of students in younger grades (elementary – middle) who didn’t practice self-care also known as self-regulation had a tougher time in the learning environment and went on to have some sort of academic challenge as they continued to develop and go through school. The study also goes on to state that they find many adolescents who are that young don’t develop as many issues, and they usually start to find emotional, mental and physical issues in 50 percent of patients who are in there early 20’s because of a bunch of different varying factors. The studies and findings have shown that a positive outlook can be generated by the adolescents peers and by them being there for one another. Self – Care in Adolescents and Home Life
Home life is so important during an adolescent’s growth and development. They spend the most amount of time at home so it’s important that it’s a healthy living style for them. The adolescents parents should encourage self-care and looking after ones self. The parents should
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also check in on there young one. According to Courtney Harris (2020) “You might ask questions like, “Where do you feel most joyful and relaxed?” “What helps you feel most calm and comfortable?” Give them the space to name and describe places and activities that feel calming to them. Your job here is to listen more than you talk.” It’s important for the adolescent to have a safe space to talk about things. That’s where the parent comes in they are someone the adolescent can talk to and it can help promote a positive emotional and mental mindset. Because they have built the trust with there parents and they know when things get tough they have someone to always talk too, someone who will always be there for things and to help them a long
the way and help them during this difficult time in there life. A study that was conducted by Doctor Melissa Spezia Faulker found that “Warm and caring family behaviors were found to be the most influential factors for self-care participation by the youths with type 1 diabetes, and they
also contributed to the youths' perceptions of fewer worries, a lower impact of diabetes, and greater life satisfaction. The positive effects of nurturing family relationships on adherence to therapeutic regimes are consistent with earlier studies.” So, while this group of adolescents, which was a group of 99 individuals, had some sort of medical issue going on. It shows that by the families being encouraging to them and being there for them promoted a positive feeling amongst them and gave them a better outlook on life. Conclusion
In Conclusion, Studies that were conducted found that adolescents who do practice self-
care tend to live a happier and healthier life. The studies found that adolescents generally had positive emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Families who actively promote and encourage self-care boosted the adolescents’ emotional and mental well being in a positive way. Adolescents also succeeded academically and had a better focus on their schoolwork. This study
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shows just how important self-care is to the growth and maturity of the adolescent as they go from being an adolescent to an adult. They go through many developing stages which can be very stressful for them. But by practicing self-care the adolescent can help alleviate some of that stress and continue to excel and do great things. Studies have also shown that peer relationships are so crucial and very important to the growing adolescent. It helps them develop a support system and helps them express themselves and find others with various interests. This research study shows many of the important things that an adolescent can do or engage in to help keep them going in a positive direction and keep generating positive ideas about one’s self. This study is backed by countless studies and research that has been conducted over the last 20-30 years.
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References
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Through social media, youth share insights on caring for self and community
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