91235 resource booklet 2016 - WordPress.com · New$Zealand$Health$Education$Association$(NZHEA)$2016.$Formemberuse$only,$not$to$be$sold$orshared.$ $! 1$ RESOURCE BOOKLET AS 91235:

New Zealand Health Education Association (NZHEA) 2016. For member use only, not to be sold or shared.

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RESOURCE BOOKLET

AS 91235:

Analyse an adolescent health issue

You will select ONE of two health issues to respond to ALL questions in the exam. This resource booklet contains: • Resources A-‐D for stress management (pages 1-‐3 of this booklet) • Resources E-‐G for cannabis or other drug use (pages 4-‐6 of this booklet).

Resources for stress management

RESOURCE A: Risk factors increase the likelihood of difficulties in coping with stressful life events and protective factors enhance life opportunities, ability to cope with stress and can reduce the impact of unavoidable stressful events. Common risk factors include: Common protective factors include: • having low self-‐esteem and poor social

or coping skills • lack of social support from family,

friends, community • truancy, academic failure, and dropping

out of school • experiencing parental conflict and

divorce when growing up • low family income and family

disadvantage.

• having a large social support network • having optimism, aspirations, hopes and

plans for the future • having at least one close friend • having at least one supportive parent • staying longer at school and achieving • having personal interests and hobbies

that are valued and recognised by others • having meaningful employment • living in a safe and supportive

neighbourhood and feeling connected to one’s community

• having skills for problem-‐solving and decision-‐making, leadership, working independently, communicating with others

• having positive interactions with other people.

Adapted from: http://www.myd.govt.nz/resources-‐and-‐reports/publications/youth-‐development-‐strategy-‐aotearoa.html


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RESOURCE B:

Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress every day and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the resources to cope. Some sources of stress for teens might include:

• school demands and frustrations • negative thoughts and feelings about themselves • changes in their bodies • problems with friends and/or peers at school • unsafe living environment/neighbourhood • separation or divorce of parents • chronic illness or severe problems in the family • death of a loved one • moving or changing schools • taking on too many activities or having too high expectations • family financial problems.

Some teens become overloaded with stress. When it happens, inadequately managed stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or alcohol use.

When we perceive a situation as difficult or painful, changes occur in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to danger. This "fight, flight, or freeze" response includes faster heart and breathing rate, increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread. The same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off.

From: http://www.edusearch.co.nz/articles/5-‐322/Youth/Helping-‐Teenagers-‐with-‐Stress.htm RESOURCE C: Ginsburg identifies seven ‘Cs’ of resilience: These can be developed in individuals that help them to deal with stress and risk. • competence • confidence • connection • character • contribution • coping • control. Adapted from Dr. Sue Bagshaw, Chapter 5: http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/wp-‐content/uploads/Improving-‐the-‐Transition-‐report.pdf


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RESOURCE D: Research has found that building five actions into day-‐to-‐day lives is important for the well-‐being of individuals, families, communities and organisations.

Adapted from: http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/home/ways-‐to-‐wellbeing/


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Resources for cannabis and other drug use RESOURCE E:

Source: Nora D. Volkow, MD, Ruben D. Baler, PhD, Wilson M. Compton, MD, and Susan R.B.

Weiss, PhD, N Engl J Med 2014; 370:2219-‐2227 June 5, 2014 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra1402309.


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RESOURCE F:

By the time they are 21, eight out of 10 young New Zealanders have used cannabis. Ten per cent use it often enough to be dependent.

What is emerging from groundbreaking research published this week is that despite a growing teenage belief that dope delivers a harmless high, young regular tokers may be dulling their brains permanently -‐ and paying a price in adult life by performing poorly at school and limiting their options in the job market. Moreover teens who frequently use cannabis have increased risks of mental health problems, getting injured in car accidents and using other illicit drugs.

The study of more than 1000 New Zealanders found that those who took up cannabis in adolescence and kept using it more than once a week had an average decline in IQ of eight points when measured at age 13 and again at 38. Those who began using cannabis as adults and stayed the course did not suffer the same decline.

In other words, the brain of a teenage cannabis user appears more susceptible to the effects of the drug than the adult brain, which suggests the bulletproof bravado of the regular teenager smoker is misplaced -‐ and raises, say researchers with interests in the latest study, broader questions about current drug policy.

So just why is the teenage brain vulnerable to a chemical assault from cannabis?

"Taking cannabis during this time can disrupt the natural processes," says Professor Glass. "Once you are an adult the same processes are no longer occurring, so you are particularly vulnerable in puberty."

Adapted from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830922


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RESOURCE G: Based on research, some suggestions for future policy and funding to reduce Cannabis and other drug use in youth include:

• That community action funding should provide young people, their families/whânau and community with needs-‐based services and support to initiate their own prevention and harm minimisation projects and lead change within their communities.

• The Ministries of Health and Education should jointly develop a model of support for school guidance counsellors and other relevant personnel that ensures staff have appropriate skills to identify and work with people who use drugs.

• That the Ministry of Health develop programmes to increase young people’s capacity to be agents of health promotion and drug-‐related harm reduction.

• That the Ministry of Health should work in partnership with media organisations to develop a resource highlighting good practice with regard to the media coverage of poisoning.

Adapted from Reshaping New Zealand’s Alcohol and other Drug Policy, Declaration from Wellington national drug policy summit, 27-‐28 August 2013 https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/wellington-‐declaration/declaration

Documents

91235 resource booklet 2016 - WordPress.com · New$Zealand$Health$Education$Association$(NZHEA)$2016.$Formemberuse$only,$not$to$be$sold$orshared.$ $! 1$ RESOURCE BOOKLET AS 91235: