Positive Psychology and Adolescents: Part 2

 

Positive psychology has many effects on mental health and well-being, as discussed in part 1. Through positive psychology, people can influence and control their happiness, or at least many factors regarding it. Becoming aware of this earlier in life rather than later in life is optimal. People need to learn to start harnessing this power at a young age, because these practices can be taught and implemented into life at a young age. Young people are taught early on to eat healthy, exercise, and get good sleep, just to name a few things, so just as important is teaching youth to appreciate the power and long-term benefits of positive psychology. Mental health is paramount for balance in life, meaning proper physical, mental, and emotional health as well. If one of these is not where it needs to be, the others can be affected. Adolescence is a good time to start with the implementation of positive psychology due to the multitude of changes inherent in this developmental time period as well as habit formation and brain development, specifically the prefrontal cortex. Many ways to practice and implement positive psychology into everyday life need to be made habitual, and the earlier one starts engaging in healthy habits the better.

Mental health is just as important as physical health throughout the lifespan of a human being. The emotional state one is in has great effects on one’s physical and mental state, leading to distress, inner chaos, and pessimism, or peacefulness, well-being, and optimism. Childhood has its ups and downs, as any stage of human development does, but adolescence is a defining time period in development that paves the way for the rest of the physical, mental, emotional, and psychological life. The adolescent years can be a time of significant changes for children as they transition into adulthood. These changes range from physical, interior and exterior, biological and hormonal bodily changes, such as puberty and neuronal changes, to social and relational changes with family and friends. Both of these changes greatly impact the teenage years of development, hopefully positively but unfortunately negatively for a great number

According to Talbot and Flemming (2003) everyone goes through adolescent changes differently and handles them in many different ways based on a variety of factors that are internal and external. Psychological perspective, optimism vs. pessimism, can also play a factor in coping with these changes. The researchers mention some of the different internal and external factors including intelligence, family stress, parenting, socioeconomic status, violence, social support, etc. Some of these factors are similar to those that impact the choice of activities, as discussed earlier. These researchers point out that some teens find healthy ways to cope with the multitude of changes during this time period, but others find this to be a tumultuous time of turmoil in their lives characterized by very low points requiring much help and assistance mentally and emotionally to get through these years.

Boyd and Bee (2012) highlight the fact that these transformative years yield many different outcomes in the lives of adolescents, which are important building blocks for the rest of one’s life. This time period is when long-term habits start to become formed and entrenched, so implementing positive and healthy activities with this population is crucial. These researchers state that this is a time period that can be characterized by drug and alcohol use as well as high risk behavior, or a time of normal, healthy development and experiences. Obviously this is based on many situational and circumstantial factors, but one’s frame of mind or psychological outlook can play a heavy role in developmental experiences. Scalco et al. (2014) add that adolescence is a risky time period when one of the United States most major public health concerns, substance use, comes into fruition. These researchers stress the importance of curbing struggling adolescents’ initiation of substance use as a means of self-medicating to relieve the emotional distress and mental health issues that are all too common during this period of development. These are not healthy coping skills and often lead to long-term addiction, abuse, and/or dependence.

According to Boyd and Bee (2012), Coghill (2010), and Scalco et al. (2014), it is clear adolescence represents an important and critical stage in development associated with unique challenges that need to be carefully navigated. Not only is well-being important socially and emotionally for this period of development, but Coghill (2010) argues that there are important neurological, structural, and chemical changes that take place within the brain. This researcher states that these complex changes in brain chemistry, including a loss of grey matter, affect the balance between lobe functions, which affect decision making and planning. These changes can last well into adulthood as well, which is why it is important to implement healthy psychological habits early on. Coghill argues that these structural brain changes may contribute to the behaviors commonly associated with this developmental period, such as increased sensation seeking and risk taking behaviors, like substance use, as well as the drive for teens to want to separate from their families.

The good news is that positive thoughts and activities also cause structural brain changes as well due to neuroplasticity. The mental health needs of adolescents are finally getting more and more special attention because people are starting to realize how unique and challenging, but critical, a time period this is given all of the biopsychosocial changes highlighted (Coghill, 2010). This is important because of the lifelong implications these changes can have for so many, especially since research shows that diagnosable mental illness exists in about 10% of the adolescent population (Frigerio et al., 2009). Coghill (2010) reports that mental health in childhood and adulthood has been studied much more compared to mental health in adolescence, which needs to change based on the importance and long term consequences.

Effective treatment with this population is vital because of the possible catastrophic outcomes, such as suicide attempts or self-harming behavior that can occur if this does not happen in a timely, efficient manner. Suicide is a major risk factor for teens with mental health issues lacking positive coping skills and psychological resiliency. It is important to have effective means of reaching and helping this vulnerable population because according to Freedenthal (2007), “Only one third (Marttunen, Aro, & Lonnqvist, 1992) to one half (Shaffer et al., 1996) of youth who die by suicide ever consulted a mental health professional” (p. 22). Alarmingly, these researchers also found that, “Among adolescents and young adults hospitalized for a suicide attempt, only 37% to 52% received mental health services in the month before their attempt (Barnes, Ideda, & Kresnow, 2001; Suiminen, Isometsa, Marttunen, Ostamo, & Lonnqvist, 2004)” (Freedenthal, 2007, p. 22). Time needs to be of the essence when working with the mental health needs of teens because of potential consequences, which is why introducing positive psychology and accompanying practices at an earlier rather than later age is highly recommended.

Take the first step toward feeling better today. Contact us.