Parenting Advice & Tips From Positive Psychology
How Can Parents Help Childhood Depression With Positive Education Clues
Apr 16, 2009
Positive psychology researchers are uncovering the factors that correlate to well-being — the feelings of happiness, meaning, fulfillment, and self esteem. With childhood depression and teen suicide at all time highs, parenting advice drawn from positive psychology studies and the Geelong Grammar School project may be helpful.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported in 2007 that teen suicide rates had reached a fifteen year high. Positive psychology founder, Dr. Martin Seligman points out that depression is being diagnosed, on average, at fifteen years of age, an alarming drop from that of thirty years of age fifty years ago.
Dr. Seligman and other prominent positive psychology researchers are currently involved in a bold innovative project of positive student education with the Geelong Grammar School in Australia. Geelong is integrating positive psychology concepts throughout its academic and activity curriculum, from kindergarten through senior levels.
Though the Geelong project is too recent for meaningful results, research study results validate the benefits of several positive psychology strategies and interventions for adults, which may suggest parenting advice for adaptation by parents with their children.
Parenting Advice to Fight Depression in Teenagers described four interventions parents might adapt in discussions with their children. These interventions (gratitude, appreciation, three-good-things, and what-went-well) have been shown to improve feelings of well-being in research studies with adults. It seems reasonable that parents can utilize these with children when adjusted for the child's age and experience.
Positive Psychology Tips for Well-Being
In addition to the parenting tips described in "Parenting Advice to Fight Depression in Teenagers", the following five tips from positive psychology will give concerned parents additional tools to combat childhood depression.
- Reliance on Personal Strengths: Research studies indicate people are happiest, most productive, and most creative when using their personal strengths. The field of positive psychology calls these signature strengths, those special skills and abilities that allow an individual to excel. The VIA signature strengths questionnaire for adults has been validated with millions of people across multiple cultures. The childhood version of this survey, VIA Strength Survey for Children, is freely available for children to identify their unique strengths.
- Organize Own Space: Having autonomy over one's surroundings inspires confidence and self esteem. Parents can utilize this intervention by allowing children the ability to organize and manage their own space, perhaps their room or a portion of it.
- Give to Others: Philanthropy is known to cultivate positive feelings. Though children have limited financial resources, they have much of value to give to others. Examples might include a letter or phone call to a relative, donation of a toy to needy children, and participating with parents in charitable activities such as working at a food pantry.
- Good Day Activities: This exercise helps a child identify the activities which comprise good days. At the end of the day, ask the child if this was a good day. If it was, have the child identify the activities which contributed to its being a good day. Repeating this daily will result in a list of activities which are enjoyable and contribute to good days. The child can then plan to utilize these activities as frequently as possible.
- Think Positively: Encourage the child to examine the known facts of the situation, separating facts from fears. Remind the child that most fears do not come true, and if they do, the result isn't as bad as was feared. Examine the worst that can happen and decide on a course of action should it occur.
Parenting Advice from Positive Psychology
The strategies and interventions mentioned here may be helpful to parents in equipping their children to deal with the stresses facing today's adolescents.
Readers may also enjoy Parenting Advice—Fight Depression in Teenagers.
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