Keys to Educational Psychology[Irma, Eloff and Liesel, Ebersohn]

By GROUP IV

Health and Well-Being

Learner’s health and well-being play important roles in learning environment. This chapter tries further explain what is:

Health

Health Promotion

Health Issues

HEALTH

Health as not only the absence of disease, but also a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being. (WHO, 1986)

Health psychology: The study of the way in which thought, feeling and behavior stem from, interact with or cause physical or mental efficiercy, efficacy, comfort and well-being (Foishaw, 2002).

Six areas related to health psychology

Medical psychology Psychosomatic Behavioral Medicine Behavioral Health Medical sociology Medical anthropology

WELL-BEING

Well-being: Strong intra-psychic construct, or improve quality of life, or harmony between the mind and body.

Intra-psychic: Thoughts and feelings that are confined to the mind

Balancing of the physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual components are needed to produce happiness and superiority of life.

Cognition: WP experience of life as meaningful and satisfied person.

Effect: WP experience more positive than negative feelings.

Behavior: WP experience high level of control and perceive problem as a challenge.

Self-concept: WP are happy with themselves. Interpersonal relationship: WP experience

sound human relationship at work, in the family context and social.

Symptoms: WP do not suffer from symptoms of mental disorders, such as depression or anxiety.

Wellness continuum is a model that describes health as total well-being. Profile of wellness people (WP):

Mind Body Integration Mind is just another organ that could

not save the body. (lemonick, 2003) Physician view that mental states and

physical well being are connected each other.

Research shows that stimulation of emotional changes nervous system, which effects on the brain and body. (Carlson, 1994)

It reveres to individual which attempts to prevent disease. There are various determinants of health behavior:

Health and Behavior

HB differ between social group

HB are influenced by perceive symptoms

HB are influenced by social situation

HB are influenced by psychological factor

Health and StressStress provides a classical example about the link

between mind and body.Stress is not always negative stress (distress), there is

also positive stress (eustress). It is important to realize that growing up is stressful.

Especially for children. List of stressor during child development as personal

goals, self-esteem, values, social standards, life skills and personal competences and competition with peers.

Stress: the way in which the body and the mind respond to threats and demands from the environment.

Van Niekerk (1998)

HEALTH PROMOTION

A healthy life style includes: eating 3 meals a day 8 glasses of water a day Exercise 3 or 4 times a week Maintaining body weight Limiting alcohol intake Not smoking Sleeping 8 hour a night Managing time effectively

Van Niekerk, et.al. 2002

1. Life Style

Health promoting school aims at achieving healthy life styles for total school population.

Research has proven there is significant link between diet and brain function.

Learner with poor nutrition remains sick for longer period.

Exercise slows down the aging process, leads to better self-image,

promotes self-confidence, allow more restful sleep, improves people

performance and attitudes. (Nieker , 2001; Sarafino, 2002)

Positive relationship between physical activity and self-esteem in

children , result better class room behavior and greater desire to learn.

2. Nutrition

3. Exercise

Health Promotion3. Safety: Accidents are the cause of high percentage of injuries in children.4. Personal control: a strong sense of personal control tend to experience less

strain and disease.5. Coping, life skills, coherence, resilience, hardiness: manner of people in

responding problem or threat is “Coping”, while life skills help you cope with problems, adapt to changes, and effectively confront crises and conflict. How can we learn to live, and live well with stressors, and turn their existence to our advantage? Well, sense of coherence tendency of people to view their world as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful (Sarafino, 2002). Resilience seems incorporate high levels of self-esteem, personal control, and optimism. Hardy individuals tend to be less stressed and healthier than weaker or more sensitive individuals.

6. Stress management: reducing potential for stress in lives through increased social support, improved personal control, better time management, exercise and proper preparation for stressful events.

7. Multi-domain functioning: if we think it through…it seems that every aspects of life has biomedical, psychological, social, and spiritual components that effect one another. Van Niekerk and Prins (2001:32)

8. Social Support: Social support makes people feel loved, and accepted, supplies to us important information about how to understand or cope with what is happening.

9. Community health and health workers: every person has right to optimal health. This has strong preventative focus. There are three focus aspects of prevention:

Primary prevention

Secondary prevention

Tertiary prevention

Health IssuesPovertyHIV/AIDSDisease and IllnessDisabilitiesMental HealthChild AbuseChildren as Caregivers

Poverty Many children living in poverty affect children learning extensively and relates the increased risk of failure in school at south Africa. Mall nutrition beginning in around fourth mount of pregnancy impacts on two years of golden age in brain development.(Go hungry during the class; experience violence;

do not know how to use pencils, paper books; haven’t heard stories or songs at home; poor discipline at home; have a few opportunities to observe )and ask questions; do not understand the language used in class room.

Winkler, 2002

HIV/AIDSAIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is an illness brought about as a result of earlier infection with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) (Gillis, 1996; Donald et al., 2000). Poor nutrition, ill heath and show signs of failure to thrive. Tend to die of common illness (measles, diarrhea, respiratory infections. (Ebersohn & Eloff 2002)Psychological challenge (lost of identity, shame, stigmatization, fear of abandonment and rejection)

Disease and illness'Human diseases represent changes in the normal structure or function of the human body' (Feigenbaum & Veit, 2003). Some children fall ill and others stay well, this introduce the concept ‘susceptibility’.Various factor contribute ‘susceptibility’ as genetic mutations, environmental pollutants and stressors, socio-economic factors, risk-taking life styles, drug abuse and disabilities. (Odgen, 2001)

DisabilitiesWhen working with children who have intrinsic barriers (or disabilities) to learning. Intrinsic barriers include:Physical barriers: Disabilities affecting movement or use of limbs.Sensory barriers: Visual or hearing disabilities.Neurological barriers: Brain lesions; damage or dysfunction such ascerebral palsy, spina bifida and epilepsy.

Mental barriers: From wide continuum giftedness to severe and profound mental handicap.

Chronic diseases and infections: Malnutrition, chronic respiratory infections, chronic otitis media, allergies and asthma, parasite infection, HIV-infection and tuberculosis.

Autism: Severe disorder of thinking, communication, interpersonal relationships and behavior (Kapp, 1991; Donald et al., 2000; Sands, Kozleski & French, 2000; Feldman, Gordon & Snyman, 2001; Smith, 2001).

Learning difficultiesThere is a wide range of barriers which hamper learning. Some barriers can be overcome quickly, others require more time and effort.Children with disabilities may also have some problems, which include mild intellectual difficulties, communication difficulties, specific learning difficulties, and emotion difficulties.

Substance abuse'Drug abuse refers to the excessive use of a chemical substance, which results in the impairment of an individual's mental, physical or emotional state of well-being' (Gillis, 1996:107).Desire for acceptance in their peer group, curiosity, or copycat behavior, or a progressive need to relieve anxiety or boost self-confidence (Jone:2001)early education self-confidence children and parents can be means of helping children develop and security, and stand the need of drugs abuse.

Mental HealthMental health utilizes a deficit paradigm that

highlights disorder and dysfunction.Poor mental health influences a child’s ability

to learn, which in turn affects the grown child’s ability to make healthy choices in areas such as sexual activity, diet, exercise routine and decisions to seek medical care.

Child AbuseAbuse: Behavior towards another person,

which is outside the norms of conduct and entails a substantial risk of causing physical or emotional harm.

In south Africa where children are concern, the main distinctions of violence appear to be gang violence, general crime violence and violence in relationships (child abuse in particular). Donald et al:2000 .

Children as CaregiversAnother challenge existing in South Africa is

the amount of children being orphaned by parents dying of HIV/AIDS.

Young children are often cared for by their older siblings in south Africa.

Children could be helped to improve the well- being of their younger brothers and sisters more effectively than doctors and health workers. Bower (1995)

ConclusionHealth is more complex than ever, not only about absence

of the disease but all the thing that are involved, such as by physics, mental and social side which are connected each other.

Children’s health and well being are important in learning success. That’s why health promotion should be spreader.

On the other side, health issues could not be ignored for increasing our understanding about learning and health or vice verse.