Description
719: Adolescents, Protective Factors, and the Antecedent to Risky Behaviors, Psychopathology, and More
Stacie Norman, M.A.
Cord of Three Counseling
419 Main St.
Blackshear, GA 31516
Summary
Adolescents face a myriad of challenges today, often leading to poor emotion regulation, involvement in risky behaviors, anxious and depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. However, meaning in life serves as a protective factor against drug use, promiscuous behavior, eating disorders, mental health disorders (Garcia-Alandete, Gallego Hernandez de Tejada, Perez Rodriguez & Marco-Salvador, 2019), and suicidal ideation (Garcia-Alandete et al., 2019). Recent research has shown that adolescents with higher meaning in life demonstrate resilience and cognitive control over stressors from uncontrollable events in their lives (Dulaney, Graupmann, Grant, Adam & Chen, 2018). Religion is an important factor in providing meaning in life, and religious commitment in adolescents is correlated to increased life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism (Kaiser & Iqbal, 2019) and a decrease in risky behaviors and psychopathology (Garcia-Alandete et al., 2018). This workshop will discuss recent research in adolescent meaning in life, how meaning in life can serve as a protective factor for adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression and emotion dysregulation, and the role religious commitment plays in developing meaning in life. It will also provide a presentation of interventions with biblical integration to help instill meaning of life in Christian adolescent clients.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
• Discuss how adolescent meaning in life serves as a protective factor against negative behavioral patterns and reinforces positive mental health and well-being
• Articulate the role of religious commitment in adolescent meaning of life and how it relates to positive psychological outcomes within therapy with a licensed mental health professional
• Develop interventions with biblical integration to help Christian adolescent clients develop meaning in life
