16 hours Ago By Ardhra Nair
Pune: Children and adolescents are increasingly grappling with emotional and behavioural disorders in an era defined by rapid technological advancements and evolving social norms, said city psychologists. They pointed to a complex web of factors fuelling the surge — from distracted lifestyles and inappropriate media influences to strained family dynamics and an unrelenting need for instant gratification. Cognitive behavioural psychotherapist Vishal Harpale emphasised the pressing need for value-based support systems to help children navigate a chaotic world.
"Behavioural and emotional disorders usually have an onset during childhood and adolescence, and are on the rise today. Reasons could be too many distractions, inappropriate conditioning through audio-visual media, disturbed family dynamics, desire for quick gratification and lack of value-based interactions with people around." Despite availability of abundant resources, youngsters face moral injuries regularly without the human support system to interpret daily life events.
Parents are also ignorant about psychological, emotional and social challenges faced by their children, Harpale added. Sadhana Natu, professor and head of the psychology department at Modern College, Ganeshkhind, explained the growing prevalence of interpersonal and societal aggression, often modelled by children exposed to violence at home, in media and on social platforms. "Interpersonal, social and community aggression has increased in humongous proportions in the last 10 years.
The need for immediate gratification and inability to tolerate frustration are key factors leading to such behaviour," she added. Natu advocates for a multi-pronged approach involving parents, teachers and counsellors to equip children with anger management tools and critical thinking skills. "Conversations at home on anger management, sessions in school and counselling interventions, and running support groups help.
It is essential to facilitate children to identify worthwhile role models, exercise rational behaviour and understand what content to watch and what to avoid," added Natu..
