Life Challenges

Honorary Special Editor: Dr Mary Angeline, Madras School of Social Work Chennai All of us experience major and minor life challenges. How we handle these struggles on a daily basis determines our physical, as well as our mental wellbeing. Life challenges enable us to see ourselves at our best and at our worst. Today's children face daunting challenges in: academics, emotions, mental health, protection from ill-health, violence, peer relationships, and poverty. Parents cannot entirely control the life challenges their children will face, but they can guide children towards some challenges and away from others, and can help children to gain perspective on problem solving and coping process so as to not overreact to failure or underplay success. Academic challenges: Children face many academic challenges such as failure to grasp certain subject matter, inability to concentrate at school, lose interest in activities they once enjoyed, withdrawing due to personal matters, (divorce/ death in the family), dislike of certain teachers and their teaching methods and other such academic challenges. Beyond reading, writing and arithmetic, a child's ability to navigate this increasingly complex world requires a broad set of competencies: cognitive, social and practical. Meeting parents high expectations puts the children at risk of suicide, running away from home, drug abuse and engaging in unwanted behaviour in school, community, society and family. Emotional challenges: A child's emotional problem can become a chronic problem if it's not attended to properly and in a timely manner. Many adult emotional problems or situations (divorce) can also affect children, and result in behaviour problems but these problems may not be as easily recognized in children. Some emotional problems in children can be treated quite easily, but some require long-term care that can be complicated.

Many children, who are experiencing emotional or psychological instability, may struggle with

anxiety, pessimism and lack of self-confidence or self-esteem. A child facing some kind of emotional challenge can show the following symptoms:

Anger and mood swings from time to time , feels ashamed, feels sad or hopeless, unable to concentrate on important matters, anxiety and fear, depression, often feels dumb, feels fatigued, racing heartbeat. Children need proper attention and time to heal from these challenges so that they can quickly return to their normalcy. Challenges in mental health In children and adolescents, the most frequently diagnosed mood disorders are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. Because mood disorders such as depression substantially increase the risk of suicide, suicidal behaviour is a matter of serious concern for clinicians who deal with the mental health problems of children and adolescents. The incidence of suicidal attempts reaches a peak during the mid adolescent years, and mortality from suicide, which increases steadily through the teens, is the third leading cause of death at that age. Challenges for protection of the Child: Many children face multi-dimensional forms of violence that cause long lasting harm to their natural development. Children consistently expressed their concerns about the absence of a safe environment which leads to violence, abuse and exploitation within the family, community, street, work place, school, in state and non-state institutions and also in the justice system. Pornography, unwanted pregnancy, gang involvement and suicide are but a few of the challenges faced by this generation. Challenges in relationships: Peer relationships are among the most influential means of support for people of all ages and have critical implications for social behaviour and development. Among the most commonly referenced peer relationships are friendships. Friendships are voluntary relationships that are rooted in common interests and experiences. In childhood, friendships contribute to the acquisition of social competencies and skills such as cooperation, negotiation, and compromise. Peer relationships often cultivate salient bonds among children and these are strengthened as children learn to communicate effectively with each other, share feelings, become sensitive to others needs and concerns, and gain perspective on different points

of view. Thus, peer relationships are not only critical to social development but also have significant implications across the life span. Challenges in health: Children in rural areas are more likely to face different challenges to their health and have less access to care when compared with children in other areas, according to a new report from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. The percentage of children with chronic conditions such as obesity, asthma and diabetes is highest among teenagers living in small rural areas. Malnutrition a major health problem in children results in stunting, blindness and cognitive defects that lowers attention span and reduces the childs capacity to learn. When compared with well-nourished peers undernourished children are less likely to enroll in school and even if they do they are more likely to perform poorly and be less economically productive in later life. A malnourished child is more likely to fall sick, may take longer to recover and has greater risk of death. Poverty: Children are the greatest victims of poverty in India. In South Asia, especially in India, an impressive economic growth and, to a large extent, reduced poverty in the recent years, have not translated into improved nutrition. Globally, the bulk of malnutrition occurs in Asia, with South Asia having the highest rates of under nutrition and the largest numbers of undernourished children in the world-42 percent of the worlds undernourished children live in India. The disconnect between growth and reduced under nutrition is often referred to as the "Asian Enigma." Violence: Violence in children can take many forms, including fighting with peers, bullying, destroying property and hurting animals. The reasons a child becomes violent are not always known, but there are several risk factors. Children who are victims of any type of abuse are at risk of becoming violent. Other risk factors include a chaotic home life, such as violence in the home and drug use. There are steps parents can take to help prevent violence in children. While TV violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behaviour, it is clearly a significant factor," according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).