Awareness of Teenage Stress - Research Proposal Example

STRESS MANAGEMENT IN TEENS: A TEACHING PLAN PROPOSAL Lecturer’s Affiliation: Table of ContentsTable of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Background 5 3.0 Preliminary Studies 6 i. Eco-System Theory 6 4. Stress Management Teaching Plan 7 a). Stress Background Information 7 i. Define Stress 7 ii. Symptoms of Stress 8 iii. Controlling Stress 8 b). Physical Activities in Controlling Stresses 8 c). Parental and Society Obligations 9 5. Conclusion 10 6.0 References List 12 Executive Summary As the community development officer of Brisbane area, there is a need for a well-researched proposal about community awareness of teenage stress in local high schools in the area. Teenagers in Brisbane face constant emotional turmoil that affects their daily activities from home setting to academic matters. Emotional unstable youths present a danger to the future generations because of the implications associated with lack of self-awareness and poor mental health. The proposal recommends a reliable, viable and well researched teaching program that assists students, parents, and other members of Brisbane community in stress management. This proposal will be presented to the local Brisbane municipal council for approval and later implemented in schools and social centers. The proposal defines stress, causes of stress, and management of stress. The plan will be constructed using social theories such as Eco-system theory that describes how human culture, family background, and education affect the cognitive and behavioral aspects of Brisbane high school teenagers. Stress Management in Teens: A Teaching Plan Proposal 1.0 Introduction Adversities that occur in the contemporary society affect Brisbane teenagers in relation to stress and depression. The poor mental states of students lead to poor school performance, low self-esteem and social dysfunction later in adulthood. Teenagers that experience adversities carry the emotional scars into adulthood if they are unresolved. Stress management programs available are general in nature thus limiting uniqueness of each teenager’s emotional health. An updated stress management program aims at creating customized mental health recovery and prevention strategies. These teaching programs are implemented in schools and social centers where teenagers receive counseling for existing problems and life-saving skills for stress management. The various stakeholders in this teaching program include teachers, community counselors, parents and the local municipal council. High school teachers spend a lot of time with student, which provides a good base for stress management teaching in classrooms. Local social centers have community counselors that guide, mentor and provide therapy services to teenagers during weekends, holidays and other occasions when they are required. Parents are the center of the stress management program because they learn how to impact positive thinking to their children and understand that most stressors and events occur from the home setting. The local government implements policies in schools that will be taught to foster stress management among teenagers. Funding from local government and other sponsors will enable full implementation of the teaching program thus securing the future of all Brisbane teenagers. This proposal will describe the causes of stress among high teenagers, the consequences of unresolved emotional turmoil and stress management programs tailored for individual students. The long term objectives of this teaching program will help teenagers learn how to identify, solve, handle stressful events because they escalate to violence, poor grades and low social intelligence. 2.0 Background A research carried out by the Mater University sampled 7223 infants from Brisbane that were later interviewed after 15 years concerning adversities and stressors they have experienced (Hazel et al. 2008). They further explain that only 705 teenagers agreed to be interviewed concerning the effects of childhood stressful events into teenage hood. Teenagers from families that had low income were affected in both social and academic skills because of lack of adequate resources and social class segmentation in school. Hazel and his colleagues observed that teenagers from abusive families either turned into abusers or victims of emotional abuse (Hazel et al, 2008). Mothers who divorced and started new relationships lost faith in relationships and later turned into bitter and unfaithful teenagers in their relationships because of trust issues. They further explained that some participants reported having a family that had shared and strong values that maintained a well-balanced social, economic and academic lifestyle. While some participants complained of lack of a close friend or mentor in times of need, other teenagers reported that they had close but unstable friendships (Hazel et al. 2008). According to Forbes (2012), a school psychologist in Brisbane, high school teenagers lack adequate exercise while some avoid going for the annual Cross Country event. Cross Country school events are social functions that bind the Brisbane community. Teenagers that avoid this event lack motivation for social gatherings and avoid strenuous exercises. Most students that participate in the event are boys (Forbes, 2012). Socialization and exercise leads to better blood circulation the brain, which contributes to clear reasoning while dealing with stressful events. A program developed by Spencer et al. (2003) called Problem Solving for Life gathered 1,500 students from Brisbane for problem-solving skills and cognitive restructuring. The program indicated a decline in depressive symptoms among teenagers (Spencer et al. 2003). 3.0 Preliminary Studies i. Eco-System Theory Eco-system theory is defined as environmental systems that affect the cognitive and behavioral aspects of teenagers, which include microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner 1994). The ecological theory mainly relates to an individual as a part of and integrating with other systems. Persons are in close contact with their environment, and the environment affects these individuals both positively and negatively. Recognizing that teens are major elements in the environment, it would be crucial to indentify the elements that may lead to stress in teens and come up with a program that would counter scuh stresses in teens in Brisbane area. Microsystem represents the groups or institutions that directly affect an individual development such as: school, peers, family and neighborhood (Bronfenbrenner 1979). Functional schools, peers and families in Brisbane produce mentally stable individuals that receive mentoring from parents, siblings and relatives. Poor family values, broken homes and neighborhoods with anti-social elements contribute to violence and poor stress management among teenagers. Mesosystem is the relationship between family and school experiences or church and peer experiences (Bronfenbrenner 1979). Teenagers whose guardians or relatives reject and ridicule them experience difficulties while trying to establish a positive relationship with school counselors and teachers. Exosystem refers to situations where teenagers experience stresses because their parents fight and argue about career offers in different states or religious beliefs (Bronfenbrenner 1979). These stressors affect the behavior and cognitive patterns of the teenager even though the teenager is not actively involved in the matter. Macrosystem denotes the culture of the teenager in terms of language, ethnicity, developed countries, poverty and socioeconomic status among others (Bronfenbrenner 1979). Macrosystem changes with time because of improved technology, motivation for good living standards and new identity. He further defines chronosystem as the transitions that change the lifestyle, behavior and reasoning of an individual for a period of time. Divorce has been on high rate in the developed world, which means more children and teenagers are affected by divorce. During the first year of divorce, teenagers display depressive symptoms and anti-social behavior because their chief foundation of security either financial or emotional has been severed. After two years of divorce, the teenagers either resolve their trauma through proper counseling or plunge deep into the depths of depression. 4. Stress Management Teaching Plan Stress management is defined as set of skills and approaches that people need to help in problem-solving, self-improvement and life-saving skills. Stress is part and parcel of human life, which means that everyone experiences stressful events in daily life. Managing the emotional instability associated with stress involves understanding that life is full of uncertainty and stress is a common aspect of life. A teaching plan for stress management educates teenagers on the causes of stress, objectives of stress management and other social activities that improve life. a). Stress Background Information i. Define Stress Stress is defined as our body’s emotional and physical response to events that confuse, frighten, endanger or irritate us. Stress is created by events or circumstances that cause mental instability or crisis in individuals. Helping teenagers understand what causes stress enables them to be armed with effective skills that deal with crisis. Causes of stress in teenagers include: divorce, dysfunctional families, poverty, violence, poor cultural background and lack of mentors (Spence, Sheffield and Donavan, 2003). ii. Symptoms of Stress The symptoms of stress can either be physical or emotional. When teenagers are faced with adversities, they withdraw from the public sphere due to changing moods, fatigue, feeling of worthlessness, suicidal and engaging in drug abuse and binge drinking to avoid the realities of life. Some teenagers act out their frustrations by biting, hitting, kicking and even killing their family members or friends and constant quarrels where the youth perceive everyone to be against them. iii. Controlling Stress There are many ways of reducing the levels of stress from escalating to dangerous behaviors. These activities include: maintaining a hobby, playing an instrument, reading interesting articles or books, actively participating in games and sports, constantly communicating with each other and with parents on various issues that seem to overwhelm a teen. b). Physical Activities in Controlling Stresses Teens should talk to their seniors or parents when given more tasks to accomplish than they can realistically handle within the time required. In case the teen feels overwhelmed by such tasks, instead of keeping quit, they should learn how to express their feelings to adults regarding their abilities to handle such tasks. Anxiety resulting from such overwhelming situations would most likely lead to stresses (Pickhardt, 2009). In most cases, too much demand results to stresses, as meeting demands requires utilization of energy, while the supply of energy for each individual is limited. Continuously working in such extreme cases would stretch their abilities, and will eventually develop stresses. Teens have to be taught on how to work within their energy limits to avoid stressing extremes. Bronfenbrenner (1994) explains Mesosystem as the relationship between school and home experiences; demanding too much from teens in both set ups would eventually lead to stressful circumstances. Games play a large role in reducing stresses in teens. Physical activities are linked with reduction in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other forms of cancers. Despite the physical benefits, sporting has psychological benefits as exercises induce improvements in mental conditions. In fact, Blumenthal et al. (2009) in a study discovered that physical activities was as effective as anti depressant ZOLOFF in treating major depressive disorders. Exercises have no side effects on teens and have better relapse rates; exercises are more effective in treatment of mental disorders, and have been used over time to treat people with depression (Ratey, 2008). Teens have to be encouraged to be involved in various games and sports within their learning programs and at home. In addition, to reduce depression cases, exercises have been proved to reduce significantly severity of panic responses and anxiety (Bromam-Fulks, 2004). Teens have to learn the advantages of actively participating in games and other physical activities at school and at home to reduce stressing situations especially after work. c). Parental and Society Obligations Microsystems and exosystem in ecosystem theory relate to direct interaction with people around the youths, who include families, friends, or church and school. Any activity from these people has a direct impact on teens. According to Bronfenbrenner (1979), macrosystem further relates to the culture of the teenager. Greene (2008) explains that a social worker is responsible for judging what is best in a given situation through an objective view to avoid bias. This calls for parents and the society in general to determine what is best for the teens and guide them appropriately. For example interpersonal therapy (IPT) assumes that depression can result from an acute psychosocial stressor, and having insufficient social support (Parker et al, 2006). The theory mainly focuses on teen’s relationships with an aim of improving communication and readjusts to social expectations. Its main aim is for the teens to use their social networks and support to help them in managing crises. In fact, IPT has proved to be more effective in preventing recurrence of depression than anti depressants. It follows that teens require elaborate communication networks within the society to air their views and concerns, and get information from adults on how to cope up with stressful situations (Salmon, 2001). Issues such as family abuse, poverty, low financial income are all related to families and the society; they require the use of IPT to treat. In teaching the teens, it would be prudent to have groups of parents and members of the society talking to the teens in groups on how to appreciate and cope with families, and problems involved in different families related to the factors mentioned above. Generally, involving members of the society in talking to teens and allowing teens to communicate freely with the adults will facilitate opening up, where teens will air their grievances and in turn they will be coached how to handle social problems, including peer pleasure problems. In other words, the use of social work practices in resolving human problems in enhancing social functioning results in more harmony in the society (Reamer, 1998), which would reduce stressing cases among the youth. 5. Conclusion Stresses in teenagers have diverse forms of precursors as this vulnerable group is at a developing stage, which makes them encounter numerous challenges in their lives. As the ecosystem theory explains, the environment surrounding these teens has a large role in determining the elements picked by teens either positively or negatively. Increased stresses may lead to drug taking, increased cardiovascular diseases, or suicidal behaviors among the youth. These effects call for systematic plans to coach and train the teens how to cope with these stresses, while inviting the larger society to take part in helping teens to mitigate stressful situations, open up effective communication channels to ensure the teens are able to discuss their challenges and obtain necessary solution to such challenges. 6.0 References List Blumenthal, J., et al. 1999. Effects of Exercise Training on Older Patients with Major Depression. Archives of Internal Medicine. Broman-Fulks, J. J., Berman, M. E., Rabian, B., & Webster, M. J. (2004). Effects of aerobic exercise on anxiety sensitivity. Behavior Research and Therapy, 42, 125-136 Bronfenbrenner, U., 1994. Ecological Models of Human Development In International Encyclopedia of Education, vol 3, 2nd Ed Oxford; Elsevier Forbes, J., 2012. Let’s get Physical . Brisbane Girls Grammar School. http://www.bggs.qld.edu.au/blog/2012/03/22/let%E2%80%99s-get-physical/. [Accessed 25th Sept, 2012] Greene, R., 2008. Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice, 3rd ed. NY: Walter de Gruyter, Inc Parker G. et al., 2006. Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression? The Need to define its Ecological Niche. Journal of Affective Disorders, 95, 1-11. Pickhardt, C.E., 2009. Helping Adolescents Learn to Manage Stress. Psychology Today http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/200906/helping-adolescents-learn-manage-stress [Accessed 25th Sept, 2012] Ratey, J. 2008. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New York: Little Brown & Company. Reamer, F.G., 1993. The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work. NY: Columbia University Press. Salmon, P., 2001. Effects of Physical Exercise on Anxiety, Depression , and Sensitivity to Stress: A unifying Theory. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 33-61. Spence, S.H., Sheffield, J. K., & Caroline, L., 2003. Preventing adolescent depression: An evaluation of the Problem Solving For Life program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(1), 3-13 Read More