Parental Support Can Minimize Anxiety In Adolescents, Says Study

The stress of modern living often forces children to be perfectionists. This in turn, increases their anxiety levels later in life. New research suggests that parental support can minimize the effects of peer-pressure in children and teens.

Anxiety in teenagers can be particularly problematic if they are already struggling with any kind of mental health problems. Several studies have indicated that there is a rise in the mental health issues among adolescents, especially in the United States.

One of the major reasons for an immediate rise in mental health problems among youngsters is the internet. The biggest generational shift faced by the young people of today is an increase in portable technology and digital media.

While children in the earlier generations compared themselves with their classmates, the adolescents today have the whole world for comparision. From popular celebrities to models and sportspeople, the internet gives 24X7 updates about the lives of the rich and the famous.

This constant information often makes other children feel inadequate. It is mainly because many of the things that are seen on social networking sites may not be an actual reflection of real life. As a result, the teens have to deal with skewed and unfair comparisons.

Eventually, the adolescents strive to achieve the unrealistic standards of perfectionism. They face pressure to excel in every field, including sports and academics. Since it is an impossible goal for many, they begin to develop several mental health problems, such as anxiety.

Although parents’ natural urge is to help, protect and solve the problems on their child’s behalf, many of them end up doing the opposite. They become over-involved in helping their children reach these impossible goals. Eventually, they inhibit their child’s healthy psychological development.

Other research suggests that it is dangerous to strive for perfectionism mainly because it is attached to a person’s self-worth.

A perfectionist always sees failures and mistakes as terrible. They often want to be in control and feel comfortable.

For a perfectionist teen, a failure can strike at the core of their sense of self-worth. It may also become distressing for the young people, according to clinical psychologist Tom Nehmy (via ABC).

Parents can play a vital role in helping children deal with these problems.

A 2018 study by a group of researchers at the Arizona State University suggested that there is a relationship between parent-child bonding and anxiety among teenagers.

The research paper, titled “Parent-child bond predicts depression, anxiety in teens attending high-achieving schools” indicated that kids who maintained a good level of trust, alienation and communication with their parents during adolescents performed well in school.

For the research paper, the academics collected data of a long-term study from the New England Study of Suburban Youth (NESSY). Then, they assessed the collected data of 262 children to find out the relationship between mental health and parental relationships.

“Parent-child relationships continue to serve as instrumental sources of support throughout adolescence. The quality of these connections can have ripple effects on adjustment and mental health outcomes,” lead researcher Ashley Ebbert said.