Depression in teenagers, including teen suicide, is at an all time high. Parenting advice from positive psychology research may help parents prevent depression in youth.
A U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) report of 2007 indicates teen suicide reached a fifteen year peak in 2007. The Justice Department estimates five hundred thousand teens attempt suicide each year.
Dr. Martin Seligman, founder of the positive psychology research movement, points out the average onset of depression is now fifteen years of age. Fifty years ago, the average age at which depression was diagnosed was thirty. Depression is ten times as widespread as fifty years ago.
The U.S. Justice Department indicates that, "most teens interviewed after making a suicide attempt say that they did it because they were trying to escape from a situation that seemed impossible to deal with or to get relief from bad thoughts or feelings."
Parenting Advice From Positive Psychology
Positive psychology, which researches the factors contributing to well-being, has identified several strategies and interventions which parents can use with their children to give them skills in dealing with the issues of today's youth.
Parenting skills using positive psychology concepts may prevent childhood depression by helping youth successfully deal with issues such as drugs, alcohol, bullying, exams, body image, and sexuality.
The following strategies and interventions result from rigid scientific research studies conducted by positive psychology scientists. Though anyone can use these tips to increase an overall sense of well-being, self esteem, and stress relief, parents should determine how best to utilize these ideas based on their child's age.
Positive Psychology Tips for Well-Being
- Gratitude Exercise: The child is told to think of someone who has been good to them or influential in a positive way. This may be a parent, friend, teacher, or coach, anyone who comes to mind as being a positive influence. The child is then told to write this person a letter, expressing thanks and gratitude, being sure to include what this meant and how the child feels. This exercise is most meaningful if the letter can be read to the intended recipient in person.
- Appreciation: This is another form of the gratitude exercise. At the end of the day, the parent can ask a child to identify something occurring that day for which the child is appreciative. Anything, no matter how large or small, can be appreciated.
- Three Good Things: In this exercise, the child is asked, to name three good things that occurred that day. The parent should not accept a response of "nothing good happened," instead encouraging the child to focus on even little events that are good, such as a sunny day, a good dinner, or play with a friend.
- What Went Well, What Did I Learn?: This exercise may be best for older children who might tend to focus on the negatives of a day. Ask the child to recall the day's events in two categories, what went well that day and what was learned that day. This structures the day's events in a positive way and opens the opportunity for meaningful discussion.
Depression in Youth and Teen Suicide
Though childhood depression and teen suicide attempts are at an all-time high, parenting tips drawn from positive psychology may help parents equip their children to deal effectively with the issues facing today's youth.
Additional parent tips can be found in Parenting Advice & Tips From Positive Psychology.
Readers may also enjoy Geelong Grammar School Positive Education.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
Join the Conversation