Prevalence of Anxiety Disorder among Children in Australia
This paper aims to assess a childhood experience related to anxiety disorder of the 5 to 14 years old child. In order to understand the health issue in depth the hypothetical case study will be developed where the behavior and contribution of the student nurse and family will be observed. This paper will give the prevalence of the chosen health experience and will give a proper picture of the impact of family and culture on the child. The communication strategies and nursing interventions will be explained that can help to get positive health outcomes for the family or child.
AB is a 13-year-old boy who has been brought to the outpatient psychiatry department by his mother. The child is living with his grandparents and parents. Both mother and father are working. The mother was concerned about the emotional and defiance dysregulation of her child. During the diagnostic interview, AB has excessive worries related to something that is happening to his family. He worried about the other children who did not like him. He felt that he could not do any task properly. He started to develop these symptoms of anxiety at the age of 10 years. After that, he had the same worries for three years and now he also could not concentrate properly. In the present interview, it is identified that he has the same worries and it affects his functional development. However, in their present condition, he has physical symptoms such as irritability, problems in sleeping, feeling on the edge and restlessness. These are not controllable by his mother. She has expressed her concern to the nurse student and asked how to improve his present condition. She and her child consulted with the clinical psychiatrist and was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. In fact, after a review of the medical record, it is clear that the child had the same worries for continuously two years following the interviews up to the present condition.
AB has achieved all of the characteristics for GAD plus SAD. He had not improved markedly after the treatment of two years.
Anxiety is one of the common conditions that affect people of all ages. In Australia, one in 14 children aged 4 to 17 years have experienced an anxiety disorder.
Figure 1: Prevalence of anxiety disorder among children in Australia
(Source: health.gov.au, 2022)
In Australia, anxiety disorder is the most identified disorder among the 12-17 years age group. 10-20% of children and adolescents are affected by this anxiety disorder.
Figure 2: Mental disorders among children in Australia
(Source: aihw.gov.au, 2022)
As per the above table, anxiety disorder is more common than other mental disorders among children. ADHD is the most common disorder for males into the age of teenagers but the prevalence is half for females (Abdolrahimi et al., 2017). 7.4% of children and adolescents in the total population in Australia have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Figure 3: Comparison of anxiety disorder with other mental disorders among children in Australia
(Source: health.gov.au, 2022)
Mental Disorders Among Children in Australia
According to the reports, anxiety disorder differs among children based on sex differences. It means to be that some distinct differences in the prevalence of disorders have been found due to sex factors among children or adolescents (Ahmadzadeh et al., 2019).
In terms of short impact, the child may face a severe issue with personal growth and development. The child is facing long term anxiety that affects the family and school life of the child. Referring to the long term effects, in case the child could not recover in future the child is more likely to develop the misuse of drugs, feel suicidal and have clinical depression. It can develop fatigue, headaches or stomach aches (Altay, Kilicarslan-Toruner & Sari, 2017).
Excessive negative interaction between parent and child can cause a negative impact on the mental health and self-perception of the child. For example, comparison of the child with other children can demotivate him and he would assume a negative self-perspective. In fact, those children may develop negative attitudes and deficits about society. It increases the subsequent anxiety level and increases the avoidance behaviours. In this scenario, the parents of the child are protective and conservative (Antonopoulou, Killian & Forrester, 2017). In this scenario, the parents had not enough time for interaction with the children and compared him with the other children in school which developed insecurity and worries in the child that he could not do any task. However, the participation or contribution of the parents of the child in the treatment procedure can help to get better health outcomes (Bandelow, Michaelis & Wedekind, 2022). The parents can remind the child to take a calm breath when he feels anxiety.
As per Daniels, (2019). Environmental factors such as the composition of the family and religious or cultural upbringing can affect the anxiety of the child. Environmental issues include the sudden loss of a loved one or any changes which are not expected. These types of environmental factors can affect the child. From the cultural perspective, in Australia people are physically safe, confident and open-minded (Deieso & Fraser, 2019). Although verbal expression of the fear or negative emotions or issues including anxiety may be considered a weakness of character. It can cause shame. Any kind of stigma or religious belief can make a barrier to the treatment of the patient. In other words, the upbringing culture and personal family issues also impact the health of the child. However, cultural diversity, fewer family issues, interaction with family and friends as well as the support of the community can help the child to recover fast during the treatment (Grist et al., 2019).
Anxiety disorder can divert children and make them less engaged in the education and learning process. In this case scenario, the child has faced issues communicating and could not concentrate properly. It can make it hard for the child to get complete their study or schoolwork. As per the case study, the patient has suffered from irritability, headache and issues in sleeping. These physical issues affect the growth of the child and it can be possible that the child has no normal growth compared to others (Hansen et al., 2018). At this age of 13 generally, children start to take the decision on their own and take less supervision. Anxiety can impact the brain architecture of learning and memory. Anxiety can affect the emotions, thoughts and actions of the child due to biochemical changes by stress. It causes maturity comes later in childhood and triggers the emotional responses. The elevated cortisol levels can be caused by stress. It also triggers the emotion of fear in the child (James et al., 2020).
Comparison of Anxiety Disorder with Other Mental Disorders Among Children in Australia
On the other hand, the child of this case study may face difficulty in taking any kind of decision and need help to complete any task. The cognitive development of the child may be disrupted due to anxiety. This means that the child may be not able to think logically or coherently (Klein, 2022). It makes it more difficult for the child to follow the lessons, and articulate the answers to the questions or issues to form sentences while socializing with the other peer group or students (Kodish, Rockhill & Varley, 2022). Anxiety may influence the academic progress of the child. ADHD can make barriers for the child in social acceptance and also feel conflicts about independence. The child can suffer in dealing with these situations.
In the short term, anxiety can increase the heart rate and breathing rate of the child. In this situation, the concentrated blood flow to the brain can make one feel nauseous and lightheaded (Lambelet, 2021).
As per the scenario, the child is in his puberty which is known as the maximum developmental stage where high anxiety can lead to panic, and suicidal tendencies (Lotz et al., 2017).
In order to provide nursing care effectively, the student nurse needs to maintain random contact with the relatives and parents of the child. The student nurse needs to provide them with the proper information concerning the situation of the child and the progress of the therapeutic programme. The student nurse can effectively communicate, and participate in active listening to the family and parents (Madigan et al., 2018). The student nurse can advise the family to involve in medication, aromatherapy and music. The student nurse needs to communicate through face to face process for the interaction with the child and his family that may focus on advancing the emotional well-being and physical well-being of the patient (Manoli et al., 2021). It is natural that the child and his family may be afraid and hesitate to communicate with the student nurse. However, the student nurse can start communication through genuine interaction and suggest the family and child share honest information. It helps to demonstrate concern and can be building rapport. The student nurse can demonstrate professionalism, give factual information and can support or guide the family on which treatment procedure can be better. It is meant to be that the nurse student can help in the decision-making process (Rees, Channon & Waters, 2019).
The nurse can start to communicate with the child with the partnership statements. As per Wolgensinger, (2022), the first thing is that the nurse tries to build trust and co-operation with the child in a friendly environment of acceptance and understanding. While the child shares different feelings of anxiety, worry and anger it is vital for the nurse to acknowledge the feelings. There is a need to encourage the child to express themselves more deeply (Wolgensinger, 2022). The nurse does not need to ask an embarrassing question or force the child to tell anything. Judgement shame and any other expressions need to ignore.
It is needed to understand the interest of the child. The nurse needs to give scope to the child for starting an open conversation. Nurses need to avoid starting communication in the very first thing that attracts their attention. The child may take some time to start sharing their views or opinions. However, after starting any discussion the nurse can explore the thoughts of the child. The nurse needs to maintain a relaxed posture for the child and him and needs to actively listen to the child. It means to be that using appropriate non-verbal behaviours can increase potential communication (Rees, Channon & Waters, 2019).
Subjective data
As per the statement of the patient –
“I feel that I cannot do anything and I am worthless as I am not able to do any task on my own”.
As per the statement of the mother –
“He always has fear for my family and worrying about the health of my grandparents”
Objective data-
- Irritability
- poor eye contact
- Restlessness
- issues in sleeping
- Feeling worried about family and inferiority complex with other children
- Educate or advise the patient and his family members about the treatment of anxiety disorder
- Moving the client to a quiet area or small room with few people and dim light (Madigan et al., 2018).
- Therapy of pharmacology is an effective treatment for the anxiety disorder of the child
- Anxious behaviour can be stimulated by external stimuli. A separated area may increase the feeling of security and comfort compared to a large area. The large areas mostly increase the panic and lost feeling of the child
The patient will become calmer and can reduce anxiety attacks and worries.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the anxiety disorder in a child may develop due to different causes. It can affect the whole life of a child as it disrupts cognitive and physical development. Culture, environment and family are the most important three aspects of the anxiety disorder of a child. However, a proper nursing guide, care plan and support of family, and friends can improve the health of those children who have an anxiety disorder. The implication of proper nursing theory and therapeutic engagement can be a better treatment process for the anxiety of a child. Nowadays, it is one of the most common mental illnesses among children in Australia. For this reason, the nurses, health experts and the entire healthcare system need to focus on the effective therapies that can prevent the progress of this ADHD in children.
References
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