Health and wellbeing Flashcards
Health, wellbeing and resilience definitions
Health: not just physical health (nutrition and exercise), but also having a clean and safe environment, appropriate clothing and sufficient healthcare, as well as considering the importance of mental stimulation, accessing the outdoors and having attachments/loving relationships
Well-being: quality of life, thriving, how well life is going. Emotional well-being = how the child feels, how they are supported, their ability to interact and make friendships
Resilience: attitude, ability to bounce back from challenges and difficulties
Factors that can promote health, well-being and resilience
- Their families and individual needs
- A secure attachment (serve and return interactions, support child’s curiosity) to promote self-regulation
- Feeling safe can lead to confidence and eagerness to explore and learn
- Having good health can positively impact the chances of joining in activities and learning experiences
- Mental engagement and stimulation as well as challenges.
- Sense of belonging in a place or community, positive self-identity to become confidence to express themselves.
ACE = adverse childhood experiences
These are traumatic events that can have negative effects on children’s development and well-being, and a negative impact on their brain development and neural pathways (due to frequently activated stress response= hormone imbalance and effects on immune and cardiovascular system) leading to increased risk of health condition (diabetes, heart diseases), risk of substance abuse, being in prison, committing violence, and risk of dysfunctional relationships in the future (lack of trust, struggling to form bonds), ACES cause iniquity because children who experience prolonged stress struggle to concentrate at school= poor education outcomes = less paid job or unemployment.
Examples: Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional), a close person abusing drugs or alcohol, exposure to domestic violence, living with a person that has been to prison, living with a person with severe mental illness, divorce that leads to losing a parent, death of a parent, abandonment from a parent, or parents in jail.
How to support children who experienced ACEs
- Listen to their experiences
- Recognise signs e.g. changes in behaviour, withdrawal
- Consider their struggle to form relationships and trust others
- Create an encouraging, nurturing relationship
- Teaching resilience to help them learn to bounce back from challenges, be more mindful, mentally flexible and focused.
Types of stress
Positive stress: part of life, when experiencing stress occurring with protective factors such as a safe, stable environment and nurturing relationships, children can manage this successfully, build confidence and with resilience
Toxic stress: severe and chronic adversities that can trigger biological and behavioural changes that can lead to poor mental emotional, behavioural and physical health. Can have a negative impact on our brain development and immune system and regulation (can become more exposed to diseases, mental health challenges and behavioural health issues and difficulties with regulating our own emotions, as well as memory and self-control (executive functions). Children who experience toxic stress may struggle to form meaningful relationships and adopt unhealthy behaviour.
Executive function and self-regulation
Executive function is the ability to hold information, focus, remove distractions, remember and follow instruction, organise our thoughts and manage reactions and resist impulsive responses (Working memory, Mental flexibility, Self-control)
Self-regulation means being able to use executive function skills to control behaviour and adapt to different circumstances: concentrating, planning, monitor and adapt, regulating own feelings and be patient, bouncing back from difficulties.
We need executive function to learn how to self regulate
How to teach resilience
- helping children meet basic needs (sleep, nutrition, physical activity)
- building a nurturing relationship
- building coping skills and emotional intelligence
- modelling and encouraging social interactions
Resilience ≠ Self-Regulation
Resilience: attitude, ability to bounce back from challenges and difficulties, keep going when things don’t go as expected. Preparing ourselves for what might happen.
Self-regulation: the ability to concentrate manage emotions, thoughts and behaviour and adapt to different situations.
They are both skills that need to be taught and practised to help manage difficult situations.
