Research the range of contemporary issues teenagers face today. 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
The current issue facing teenagers is depression. According to Kroning and Kroning (2016), 20% of teenagers aged 15 to 18 years suffer from depression before they attain their adulthood. Depression happens when the child develops sad feelings about their life, interfering with their day-to-day life, social life, self-image, and school performance. Parents must remain cautious about depressive symptoms among teenagers to help in early identification and intervention.
The external stressors that lead to depression include academic pressure, social life pressure, family conflicts, financial constraints in the family, discrimination, bullying, and stigmatization in school e.g. due to being from a minority group or being fat, and societal expectations (Beal, 2018). The teenagers receive constant pressure from their parents and teachers to perform well in their school work. However, people are different and some may be unable to withstand such kind of pressure, leading to stress and depression. An unhealthy lifestyle is also an external stressor of depression among teenagers. Unhealthy habits e.g. disrupted meal timing and sleeping patterns, and consumption of unhealthy fast foods and sugars can lead to stress.
The DSM-V diagnostic criteria can be used to screen for depression and its external stressors among teenagers. The parents and teenagers must be keen enough to observe the behavioral and emotional changes related to depression and act immediately. These changes may include low self-esteem/ confidence, feelings of hopelessness, irritability, and frustrations, suicidal thoughts, feelings of guilt and self-criticism, poor concentration, frequent….Click link below to purchase full tutorial at $10