Mental Health Issues that Affect Today’s Families Group Kidmin Conference Chigago, IL September, 2017 Katie Wetherbee, MA

Brain defects or injury Prenatal damage: Substance Abuse Biological Factors Genetics (heredity) Infections Brain defects or injury Prenatal damage: Substance Abuse Other factors: poor nutrition, exposure to toxins WebMD

Psychological Triggers Severe psychological trauma suffered as a child, such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse An important early loss, such as the loss of a parent Neglect Poor ability to relate to others Web MD; Mayo Clinic

Environmental Triggers for Mental illness Death or divorce A dysfunctional family life Feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety,, anger, or loneliness Changing jobs or schools Social or cultural expectations (For example, a society that associates  beauty with thinness can be a factor in the development of eating disorders.) Substance abuse by the person or the person's parents Web MD, Mayo Clinic

Top Ten Child Health Concerns** Bullying Obesity Drug Abuse Internet Safety Stress **What is the connection to Mental Health? University of Michigan Abuse & Neglect Sexting School Violence Suicide Depression

Top Stressors for Children Faster Pace of Development Family Disruption Chronic Health Issues Parental Stress Overscheduling Shaw and Bhagarva, 2015 Lack of Sleep Media and Adult Content Bullying and Teasing Fewer Outlets for Stress High Stakes Testing/Academics

What’s Going On? Number of kids in sports has doubled in the last 20 years. Homework loads for 6-9 year olds have doubled in the last 30 years 75% of teens will become “bored, burnt out” and quit sports Correlation: parental spending and kids’ sense of pressure

9-13 year-olds identify academics as the highest stressor in their lives Number of children age 7-17 treated for depression has more than doubled from 1995-2002 Adolescent Suicide rates have quadrupled since the 1950’s

Relational aggression Coping? Alcohol and drugs Self-harming behavior like cutting: (1 in five college students have tried it) Distracts from emotional pain; releases a “high” Internet addiction Avoidance Relational aggression

WHAT is bullying? “Negative, hurtful behavior that occurs repeatedly and involves an imbalance of power.” Olweus & Limber, 2010

Four Groups: The Child who is the Bully: Middle-to- “popular” in the social hierarchy; seeking to have power and maintain it. The Child who is the Target: may have poor social skills, identified disabilities, few friends…but may be a “typical student.” The Child who is the Bystander: provides the audience; may laugh or show approval, may be silent. Does NOT intervene. The Adult Crowe, C. (2012) How to Bully Proof Your Classroom

WHY does bullying happen? Kids who are bullies… Seek social status/power May have poor problem-solving skills Might observe aggression at home or in other environments; might be targets of bullying Might be influenced by a culture that emphasizes winning and power Could desire “drama” and have a need to create it

Bullying Interventions DO… DON’T… Intervene immediately Ensure safety Refer to community rules Model respect Affirm upstanders Ignore it Interview kids in a group Force kids to apologize immediately Use conflict resolution strategies

Bullying in Cyberspace No reprieve No consequences High levels of escalation

Poorly developed executive functioning Compromised physical health Too much technology… Decreased attention Anxiety, depression Lack of social skills Poorly developed executive functioning Compromised physical health Decreased patience Inability to delay gratification

Kids and Pornography 1/3 of children report seeing pornography online before the age of 10 Early exposure to pornography increases the likelihood of maladaptive behavior Early exposure can lead to anxiety and depression Persistent use may cause sexual dysfunction Arousal and confusion

What do we do? Establish language around sexuality EARLY Avoid “shame and blame;” provide reassurance Express concern for repeated use Provide supervision and boundaries Differentiate REAL curiosity vs. UNREAL images Affirm Authoritative Parenting

Inflation of experiences Increased risk for narcissism and depression Social Media Self-involvement Looking for “likes” Inflation of experiences Increased risk for narcissism and depression Senior Pictures…

Relational Challenges Marriages Parent-Teacher relationships Parent-Child relationships Kids’ relationships with each other

Mental Health Crises How does the Church respond?

Speak Their Language What are they thinking about? Talking about? Worried about? How can we make church a place where they seek answers? How can we modify our programs to draw them in? How can we build relationships and develop shared expectations? We can’t expect them to get excited about OUR agenda until we understand acknowledge theirs.

Let’s Keep in Touch kwetherbee@ndc.edu katiewetherbee.com Katie Livingston Wetherbee @katielwetherbee