The pandemic and related public health measures delivered more anxiety than most adults can handle. Adolescents were already struggling with record levels of anxiety and depression when our way of life was turned upside down.
The Epoch Times: Adolescence has always been a tough phase for kids to navigate. This age group was already struggling with record levels of anxiety when a pandemic hit. From what you’re seeing, how are they doing?
Erica Komisar: Adolescents are not doing well from a mental health standpoint. Adolescence is the second critical window of right brain development responsible for emotional regulation, resilience to stress, executive functioning, and long-term working memory. During this adolescent period, from 9 to 25, the brain is very susceptible to environmental stress and there is more stress on adolescents academically, socially, and from parents and schools.
We expect more from them academically and emotionally but give less in the beginning with the rise of two-parent working families and parents who are less physically and emotionally present in the early years. If a child has had a solid foundation of secure attachment and emotional security from early in childhood they tend to do better with the challenges of adolescence.
Many adolescents today are going into this period from 9 to 25 more emotionally and neurologically fragile than ever before, which makes them more susceptible to breakdown. The good news is that if your child is more sensitive or you were not able to give them as much [support] as you would have liked from 0 to 3, adolescence is another window of development where you as a parent have a great amount of influence over their emotional development and mental health.
The Epoch Times: Parents are worried about their children. What are the most important things parents can do during this time to provide their adolescents with what they need?
