Health Psychology

The one issue that was addressed in our program is the lack of stress management for young children. Hence, I suggest having a stress-free campaign, nation-wide, targeting lower primary, age 7-10 years old. The campaign will last a month long. The campaign involves a short cartoon clip lasting 10 minutes before school starts, extending the duration of Physical Education (P.E) period and an hour a week workshop to educate the primary school students about stress management. There will also be a workshop for parents to teach them about helping their children to cope with stress. Firstly, I recommended a 10-minute cartoon clip watching for the children because according to Bothe, Grignon and Olness (2014), they found out that a 10-minute stress management intervention can decrease symptoms of anxiety and is a measure of relaxation. Furthermore, it helps the children find skills to help them cope better with stress. Additionally, the purpose of increasing P.E period is because children get happy when they play sports (ADAA, 2018). According to Lehrer, Woolfolk and Sime (2007), happiness is a positive energy, and this suggest a core relaxation dimension of positive energy. After sports and games, I suggest involving a stretching session not only to relax the muscle but also relieve stress (Harvard Health Publishing, 2011). Lastly, the workshop will involve, both the teachers and outside professionals to educate the children about stress and stress management. It will be an educational appeal. Parents are involved in the campaign too because according to Gonzalez and Sellers (2002), improving parent-child relationships increase social functioning of the child.

References

Bothe, D. A., Grignon, J. B. and Olness, K. N. (2014). The effects of a stress management intervention in elementary school children. Journal of Development & Behavioural Pediatrics, 35(1). doi: 10.1097/DBP. 0000000000000016

Lehrer, P. M., Woolfolk, R. L. and Sime, W. L. (2007). Principle and practice of stress management. NY, 72 Spring Street. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sg/books?hl=en&lr=&id=T-hUvwUNjvUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=stress+management+in+children&ots=Rj0b3CYFWS&sig=basJ5GE187eyI_dkVxux0wJvQGs#v=onepage&q=stress%20management%20in%20children&f=false

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Anxiety and depression association of America. (2018) Physical activity reduces stress. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st

Harvard Health Publishing. (2011) Exercise to relax. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax