The Effects of Anxiety on Teen Mental and Physical Health

Anxiety is a condition that affects many people at different stages of their lives (Tomoniko, 2019). Generally, anxiety becomes an issue for teens because of peer pressure, digital addiction, comparing their lives with others, and diagnosed disorders (Tomoniko, 2019). Moreover, the effect's anxiety has on teens puts an enormous strain on their mental and physical health and affects a significant number of teens and young adults' population (Tomoniko, 2019).

Emotion regulation is a necessary part of a person's mental health, and if problems arise with the regulation, then anxiety and depression can occur (Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J., 2017). Hoge, E., Bickham,D., & Cantor, J., (2017) had similar ideas to Tomoniko (2019) concerning the lack of emotional regulation due to technology addiction. Research has proven that addiction to technology leads to negative emotions such as anxiety and depression (Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J., 2017). As more teens become addicted to the internet, they have become victims of cyberbullying, leading to feelings of being socially isolated and having false visions of safety and self-belonging (Tomoniko, 2019). Another factor that Hull, K., LawFord, H., Hood, S., Oliveira, V., Murray, M., Trempe, M., Crooks, J., & Jensen, M. (2019) claims to affect a teen's mental health is the pressure, stress, low self-esteem, and anxiety placed on teens from school which makes them sink deeper into high anxiety circumstances.

Health Physical health is an essential factor for any person, especially for teens, because they are still growing and maturing (McMakin, D. L., & Alfano, C. A., 2015). When anxiety levels rise, lightheadedness, headaches, depression, weight gain, and too much adrenaline and cortisol can be released (Cherney, 2020), as well as an increase in heart rate (Hull, K., LawFord, H., Hood, S., Oliveira, V., Murray, M., Trempe, M., Crooks, J., & Jensen, M., 2019). As a body goes through a severe panic attack, it never gets a signal to return to a normal state until the attack is entirely over, which can weaken your immune system (Cherney, 2020). The most prominent physical symptom of anxiety is fatigue, which leads people to feel tired throughout the day for no apparent reason (Cherney, 2020). 

Anxiety plays a big part in teens and young adults' lives; it can affect a teenager's friendships, self-esteem, schoolwork, and more (Tomoniko, 2019). Most kids between the ages of 12 and 14 are going through prepuberty, leading to escalating emotional and behavioral problems like anxiety and depression (McMakin, D. L., & Alfano, C. A., 2015). Surveys dating back to 1930 have shown that numerous children have acute fears of different media aspects, which have caused high anxiety (Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J., 2017). Additionally, researchers have found that the more a person communicates through text messages, the more anxiety they develop while waiting for a reply (Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J., 2017). Social and other anxiety disorders can affect people as young as 13, which creates numerous disadvantages throughout the rest of their life (Cherney, 2020). 

Anxiety affects many people, but it mainly affects teens and young adults (Tomoniko, 2019). Anxiety puts an enormous strain on teens' mental and physical health and affects a significant number of the teen and young adult populations (Tomoniko, 2019). If someone is cyberbullied, addicted to technology, or has an anxiety disorder, it affects how they think, act, learn and socially interact with their school and personal life (Tomoniko, 2019).

References

Cherney, K. (2020, August 25). 12 Effects of anxiety on the body. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body

Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J. (2017). Digital media, anxiety, and depression in children. Pediatrics, 140(Suppl 2), S76–S80. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1758G 

Hull, K., LawFord, H., Hood, S., Oliveira, V., Murray, M., Trempe, M., Crooks, J., & Jensen, M. (2019). Student anxiety and evaluation. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 12 23-35. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=anxiety&id=EJ1218674

McMakin, D. L., & Alfano, C. A. (2015). Sleep and anxiety in late childhood and early adolescence. Current opinion in psychiatry, 28(6), 483–489. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000204

Tomoniko, S. (2019). Anxiety at teenagers fingertips. BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education, 11(2) 4-11. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=anxiety&id=EJ1230220