NRS 434 Assignment Contemporary Issues
NRS 434 Assignment Contemporary Issues
NRS 434 Assignment Contemporary Issues
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Adolescence: Contemporary Issues and Resources
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.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
I believe vaping has indeed become a significant issue among the teenage population in recent years. The use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices has seen a rapid rise among adolescents (Levy, 2023). Vaping can have several negative effects on teenagers’ health and overall well-being such as nicotine addiction. Many e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance. Adolescents who vape are at risk of developing nicotine dependence, which can have long-lasting effects on their physical and cognitive development (Levy, 2023). Vaping contributes to respiratory problems, inhalation of the aerosol produced by e-cigarettes can lead to respiratory issues, such as bronchitis, asthma exacerbation, and an increased risk of respiratory infections. Some cases have also been linked to severe respiratory illnesses, including a condition called EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury). Studies suggest a correlation between vaping and changes in behavior, attention, and mood in teenagers (Levy, 2023). Vaping has been associated with increased risk of aggression, impulsivity, and irritability. Additionally, it may contribute to anxiety and depression symptoms. Vaping has been identified as a potential gateway to the use of traditional cigarettes and other substances, including marijuana (Levy, 2023). Given the relatively recent rise in popularity of vaping, the long-term health effects are not yet fully understood. However, initial research indicates potential harm to cardiovascular health and an increased risk of chronic lung diseases (Levy, 2023).
References
Levy, S. (2023, June 8). Substance Use in Adolescents . Merck Manuals Consumer Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/children-s-health-issues/problems-in-adolescents/substance-use-in-adolescents
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
Adolescents encounter real-life problems daily as they experience the most dramatic growth changes. They face social, puberty, and social pressures, hormonal changes, and school pressures (Collishaw, 2015). They are expected to cope with each of these life struggles, which often leaves them overwhelmed. The typical contemporary issues adolescents face today include bullying, alcohol and substance use, cyber addiction, depression, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, and eating disorders (Collishaw, 2015). These issues are connected, with one resulting in another. This paper seeks to explore the contemporary adolescent issue on depression and will include assessment strategies and support options for depression in adolescents.
Depression in Adolescence
Unipolar depressive disorder is a major mental health problem affecting adolescents globally. It has an estimated prevalence of 4-5% in mid to late adolescence lasting for one year. The incidence of suicide, particularly in girls, increases dramatically after puberty and, by the end of adolescence (Thapar, Collishaw, Pine & Thapar, 2012). The burden of depression is highest in middle-income and low-income countries (Avenevoli et al., 2015). Depression in adolescents has been associated with the increasing rates of suicide, which has been ranked as the third cause of death among adolescents (Avenevoli et al., 2015). More than 50% of reported adolescent suicide cases had depressive symptoms at the time of death. Depression has resulted alcohol use, and obesity among adolescents (Thapar et al., 2012). It is thus vital that the disorder is recognized early and treated.
Risk factors for adolescent depression can be categorized into genetic, biological, and psychosocial factors. The greatest risk factors include exposure to psychosocial stress and a family history of depression (Collishaw, 2015). Acute stressful situations that contribute to depression include bereavement and personal injury, while chronic conditions include chronic physical illness, maltreatment, poverty, bullying by peers, and family discord (Thapar et al ., 2012). Stressful life situations are mostly associated with the initial onset of a depressive disorder rather than its recurrence. Furthermore, girls have a higher risk of being affected by external stressors compared to boys (Thapar et al., 2012). The stressors also have a higher impact on adolescents who have had a history of multiple negative life situations than those exposed to one situation (Avenevoli et al., 2015). Children exposed to traumatic events such as torture, war, orphanhood, displacement, and HIV infection are at risk of developing a long-term depressive disorder if they are exposed to multiple traumas or if there is a family history of depression.
Assessment Strategies for Screening Depression in Adolescents
Despite adolescents being a high-risk group for depression, the disorder is often under-diagnosed. It is, therefore, essential for health professionals caring for the age group to be aware of the possibility of every adolescent patient having a depressive disorder. One of the most commonly used screening strategies is the use of questionnaires, which are preferred since they are economical and quick (Siu, 2016). Two of the most used questionnaire tools are the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
Since the questionnaire depends on the adolescent self-report, all responses should be confirmed by the examiner. The author will need to ask additional assessment questions about the depressive symptoms, severity, duration, and any associated impairments (Siu, 2016). For instance, the author will ask: How long have you experienced a low mood? When did you start to experience poor concentration in school? How have the symptoms affected your academic performance? Have the symptoms contributed to other health problems? Do you ever think that you are better off dead? Have you contemplated of ending it all?
Information from the parent is vital since a diagnosis established from several informants has greater reliability and validity. Despite obtaining information from the parent, ethical principles require the examiner to restrain from communicating about the problem with the parent without written consent from the adolescent (Thapar et al., 2012). The clinician should discuss with the adolescent whether to share the health findings with the parents and obtain the written consent. The adolescent should also consent whether the information should be provided once or regularly (Thapar et al., 2012). Nevertheless, the health provider is permitted to discuss with the adolescent’s guardian if there is a medical emergency or if the provider suspects assault, child abuse, or bullying.
Support Options for Adolescents Encountering External Stressors
Available support options for adolescents facing external stressors include community support groups where they are trained on how to address life stressors positively. They are also taught how to recognize a person having external stressors and treatment options available for them (Ames et al., 2014). Support options for adolescents with depression include psychotherapy programs on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies. CBT entails training adolescents on cognitive restructuring and behavioral strategies to enable them to change negative thoughts and solve maladaptive responses (Ames et al., 2014). In addition to CBT, adolescents are educated on depression, including symptoms, impact, and treatment options for depression. The strategies also target adolescents with parents with a history of depression, those with sub-threshold depressive symptoms, and a history of depressive disorder.
Conclusion
Adolescents are exposed to several devastating internal and external life struggles, which result in issues such as depression. The most common risks for adolescent depression include external stressors such as peer victimization through bullying, maltreatment, and negative family relationships. Girls faced with external stressors have a higher susceptibility to depression than boys. Besides, depression has contributed to alcohol and substance use, decline in academic performance, and suicide in adolescents. Depression screening tools available for the adolescent population include PHQ-A and BDI. The clinician should also ask questions to determine the onset, severity, and associated comorbidities. Support options available include support groups and psychotherapy programs to help adolescents have cognitive restructuring and behavioral strategies.
References
Ames, C. S., Richardson, J., Payne, S., Smith, P., & Leigh, E. (2014). Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression in adolescents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(1), 74-78.
Avenevoli, S., Swendsen, J., He, J. P., Burstein, M., & Merikangas, K. R. (2015). Major depression in the national comorbidity survey–adolescent supplement: Prevalence, correlates, and treatment. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(1), 37-44.
Collishaw, S. (2015). Annual research review: Secular trends in child and adolescent mental health. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(3), 370-393.
Siu, A. L. (2016). Screening for depression in children and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of internal medicine, 164(5), 360-366.
Thapar, A., Collishaw, S., Pine, D. S., & Thapar, A. K. (2012). Depression in adolescence. Lancet (London, England), 379(9820), 1056–1067. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60871-4