Health Assessment during Adolescent and Prenatal Period Essay
Health Assessment during Adolescent and Prenatal Period Essay
Human growth and development is a unique process with various developmental stages occurring from birth until one becomes old. While each developmental stage has unique characteristics, so do the challenges that come with those stages. One of the stages where human beings experience numerous challenges is the adolescent stage, largely known as a period of growth and development occurring between an individual’s childhood and adulthood (Rapee et al., 2020). Among the problems that adolescents face and have to deal with are external stressors. Some of these external stressors are unique to adolescents and may lead to other negative impacts such as risk-taking behaviors. The implication is that stakeholders should focus on mitigation processes to help address such challenges. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore external stressors unique to this group of individuals, risk-taking behaviors related to the external stressors, and coping mechanisms or support available.
The External Stressors Unique to Adolescents
The adolescent period is a special period as it serves as a transition from childhood to adulthood. One of the external stressors is academic stress and the need to succeed in education (Wang et al., 2020). Adolescent years are formative, especially in terms of academics, where the adolescents get a lot of pressure from all corners to succeed in school. Parents want their children to succeed in school hence putting the adolescents under stress. Pressure from peers who are already succeeding in their educational endeavors also brings stress to adolescents. Out of the spirit of wanting to match their peers and even do better, they end up being stressed if such goals and objectives are not met.
Adolescents also face an external stressor in the form of sexual stressors. During adolescence, the individuals are in a period where they are eager to discover who they are and have the urge to get into intimate relationships (Grabska et al., 2018). However, it usually does not go according to plan as they may face teasing and rejections due to their perceived bad looks, be it due to growth, acne, feeling awkward or physical changes such as weight gain. Adolescents have to deal with mockery or teasing due to their sexual feelings and decisions.
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Possible Risky Behaviors and Copying Mechanism
The external stressors that adolescents have to face may lead to various risk-taking behaviors. One of the risk-taking behaviors includes drug and alcohol abuse (Grabska et al., 2018). The adolescents may resource to using illegal drugs and abusing alcohol to escape from the stressors they are facing. In attempts to escape from such, they end up being addicted to illegal drugs and alcohol. In some cases, when they don’t get the relief they are seeking, they may end up resorting to suicide.
The other risk-taking behaviors that these adolescents may resort to are violent behaviors. Due to the challenges of external stressors, individuals can adopt aggressive and violent behaviors towards objects or people they associate with their stressors, whether friends, families, or their teachers (Grabska et al., 2018). Such violent behaviors can lead to other serious impacts such as fights, serious accidents, and even death, depending on the activity and the magnitude. Some of the coping mechanisms can be applied. Helping individuals to engage in good habits such as physical exercise and a healthy diet can help them cope. Having a good and supportive social network of friends and family members can also be key.
Conclusion
The adolescence period is a period of transition into adulthood; hence, individuals in this age bracket usually have a lot of problems to deal with, such as external stressors. It is important to come up with strategies to help them cope with better health outcomes. Therefore, this write-up has explored educational and sexual stressors and some of the coping mechanisms.
References
Grabska, K., De Regt, M., & Del Franco, N. (2018). Adolescent girls’ migration in the global south: transitions into adulthood. Springer.
Rapee, R. M., Oar, E. L., Johnco, C. J., Forbes, M. K., Fardouly, J., Magson, N. R., & Richardson, C. E. (2019). Adolescent development and risk for the onset of social-emotional disorders: A review and conceptual model. Behavior research and therapy, 123, 103501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103501
Wang, J. L., Rost, D. H., Qiao, R. J., & Monk, R. (2020). Academic stress and smartphone dependence among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105029
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Describe two external stressors that are unique to adolescents. Discuss what risk-taking behaviors may result from the external stressors and what support or coping mechanism can be introduced.