Isizukulwane Esisengozini

“Bengijabule futhi nginomdlandla kwaze kwaba sezinyangeni ezimbili ezidlule. Manje uma kuvela ithuba lokuba ngenze okuthile, ngizizwa ngikhathele ngiyingcuba. Ngilusizi futhi anginasineke, angazi nje ukuthi abantu bangibekezelela kanjani. Angazi ngempela ukuthi yini le esivele yangenza ngangajabula kangaka.”—UPaul.

“Ngifikelwa yizinyembezi nenhliziyo ebuhlungu. Uma bungekho ubuhlungu benhliziyo, ngivele ngizizwe ngifile ngaphakathi. Akukho engikujabulelayo. Angisakuthandi ukuba nabangane bami. Ngihlale ngilele. Ngezinye izinsuku angikwazi ngisho nokuvuka ngiye esikoleni, futhi amamaki ami asehle kakhulu.”—UMelanie.

UPAUL noMelanie ababodwa. Ucwaningo lubonisa ukuthi intsha yase-United States engaba amaphesenti angu-8 inohlobo oluthile lokucindezeleka nokuthi unyaka ngamunye, engaba amaphesenti amane icindezeleka ngokwedlulele. Kodwa lezi zibalo azilivezi lonke iqiniso, ngoba ngokuvamile ukucindezeleka akuqondwa kahle noma akushaywa mkhuba. Isazi sokusebenza kwengqondo yentsha uDavid G. Fassler siyabhala: “Eqinisweni, ngemva kokuhlaziya ucwaningo olwenziwe ezinganeni nasentsheni, ngikholelwa ukuthi abasebasha abangaphezu koyedwa kwabane bayobe sebeke bacindezeleka kakhulu lapho befinyelela eminyakeni engu-18 ubudala.”

Imiphumela Ebhubhisayo

Ukucindezeleka kunemiphumela ebhubhisayo entsheni. Eqinisweni, ochwepheshe bakholelwa ukuthi kunendima ephawulekayo ekuphazamisekeni kwemikhuba yokudla yentsha, izifo zengqondo nomzimba, ubunzima esikoleni nokusebenzisa kabi uphuzo nezidakamizwa.

Okubi nakakhulu ukuthi ukucindezeleka kuye kwahlotshaniswa nokuzibulala kwentsha. Ngokwe-U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, intsha engaba amaphesenti angu-7 ecindezeleke ngempela iyazibulala.a Ngisho nalokhu akuyivezi ngokugcwele inkinga, ngoba kukholelwa ukuthi nakuba kunentsha ethile ezibulalayo, kunenye eningi ezama ukwenza kanjalo. Kungesizathu esihle-ke umbiko we-Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development uthi: “Ukuzithatha kalula izinkinga zentsha namuhla kuwukuzidonsela amanzi ngomsele. Ukunganaki okunjalo ngempela kufaka isizukulwane engozini.”

Ukuphila Okungenazinkathazo?

Abanye bakuthola kunzima ukukholelwa ukuthi intsha ingacindezeleka ngempela. Abantu abadala bangase bathi, ‘Yizingane lezi. Ukuphila kwazo akunazinkathazo, futhi azikhathazwa yizinkinga zabantu abadala.’ Ingabe kunjalo? Iqiniso liwukuthi intsha ibhekana nezingcindezi ezinkulu kakhulu kunalokho abantu abaningi abadala abakuqaphelayo. UDkt. Daniel Goleman uthi: “Isizukulwane ngasinye emhlabeni wonke kusukela ekuqaleni kwekhulu [lama-20] siye sabhekana nengozi enkulu yokucindezeleka okukhulu kunabazali baso—hhayi nje ukudumala, kodwa ukucobeka okukhulu, ukudikibala nokuqhatha umunyu, kanye nokuphelelwa yithemba okuthena amandla—phakathi nokuphila kwaso. Futhi lezo zinkathazo ziya ngokuya ziqala kwabasebancane kakhulu.”

Noma kunjalo, abazali abaningi bangase baphikise, bethi: ‘Thina sadlula ebusheni ngaphandle kokucindezeleka. Kungani ingane yethu inemizwa yokungajabuli enamandla kangaka?’ Kodwa abantu abadala akufanele baqhathanise isikhathi sabo sasebusheni nesikhathi sentsha yanamuhla. Phela, abantu baliqonda ngezindlela ezingafani izwe elibazungezile futhi basabela ngezindlela ezihlukene kulo.

Ngaphandle kwalokho, intsha yanamuhla ibhekene nenye futhi inselele. “Ikhulela ezweni elihluke ngokuphelele kulelo abazali bayo abakhulela kulo,” kubhala uDkt. Kathleen McCoy encwadini yakhe ethi Understanding Your Teenager’s Depression. Ngemva kokuveza izinguquko eziningana ezivelele eziye zenzeka emashumini eminyaka amuva nje, uDkt. McCoy uphetha ngokuthi: “Intsha namuhla izizwa ingaphephile, ingenamandla futhi ingenalo ithemba kakhulu kunangendlela esasizizwa ngayo esizukulwaneni esidlule.”

Ngenxa yokwanda kokucindezeleka kwentsha, izihloko ezilandelayo zizodingida imibuzo emithathu:

• Yiziphi ezinye izimpawu zokucindezeleka kwentsha?

• Sibangelwa yini lesi simo?

• Intsha ecindezelekile ingasizwa kanjani?

[Umbhalo waphansi]