Emotional growth: helping children and families 'bounce back'
The September 2005 edition of Australian Family Physician carries a clinical review Emotional growth: Helping children and families 'bounce back' by Toni Noble, PhD, MEd, BA, DipEd, MAPsS, Senior Lecturer in Education and Psychology, Australian Catholic University-National, Sydney and Helen McGrath, PhD, MEd, BA, DipEd, MAPsS, Senior Lecturer in Education and Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne that begins: “Depression is becoming increasingly prevalent in young people and is occurring earlier. General practitioners are prescribing antidepressants more frequently for this group, yet they are usually not the answer to the problem. This clinical review examines the increase in prevalence rates of childhood and adolescent depression. The reviewers draw on recent research into resilience and positive psychology to suggest guidelines for the GP in helping young people and their parents develop better coping skills in the short term, and greater resilience in the long term.”
The reviewers concluded: “Resilience is the ability to bounce back after encountering difficulties, negative events, hard times or adversity and to be able to return to the original level of emotional wellbeing. It is the capacity to maintain a healthy and fulfilling life despite adversity. Young people who have the skills to be resilient have a lower likelihood of becoming depressed or suicidal and a higher likelihood of maintaining emotional wellbeing. Self efficacy, optimistic and helpful thinking, and maintaining a success orientation are all important skills in being resilient.”
for the full review in PDF Format (1 minute to download on a 56K modem), click here.
Australian Family Physician Vol 34, No 9, 749 - 752 September 2005. © 2005 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Emotional growth, Toni Noble, PhD, MEd, BA, DipEd, MAPsS and Helen McGrath, PhD, MEd, BA, DipEd, MAPsS.
Category P. Psychological Keywords: emotional growth, resilience, depression, depressive illness, children, adolescents, clinical review
Synopsis edited by Dr Stephen Wilkinson, Melbourne. Posted on Global Family Doctor 19 October 2005
