3.3 Analyse how the skills for strengthening the individual can protect and enhance the health and wellbeing of themselves and others using the health issue researched

1. Overview of strengthening the individual

To strengthen the individual means building a set of personal skills that help you protect and enhance your health and wellbeing, and often improve the health and wellbeing of people around you too. This is a strengths-based approach. It focuses on what people can build and use (knowledge, support and skills), not just on avoiding risks.

These skills matter because many common health challenges for young people are linked to everyday habits, environments and pressures. They require regular decision-making and self-management. Recent Australian patterns show how widespread some issues are:

• Only about 19% of Australian 15–17 year-olds meet recommended screen time limits, so most exceed healthy guidelines.
• Vaping has increased among teenagers. Nearly 10% of Australian 14–17 year-olds had used an e-cigarette in the past year by 2023 (up from under 2% in 2019).
• Around half of 16–17 year-olds do not get enough sleep on school nights, which is linked to poorer mental health outcomes.

Even though these are often called “personal” skills, they do not develop on their own. Parents and carers, peers, schools, community groups, and government initiatives can help or limit skill development. They shape what support, information, opportunities and role modelling you get.

The syllabus verb is Analyse, so the aim is to show how each skill works, how the skills link with each other, and what this means for both themselves and others.

Example: A teenager wants to reduce late-night phone use because it is affecting sleep. Health literacy helps them understand why sleep matters. Self-efficacy helps them believe they can change. Problem-solving helps them adjust routines. Connectedness helps them get support and accountability from friends or family.

1.1 Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is your belief that you can carry out a specific task, and manage the emotions, behaviour and motivation needed to do it. It is not “general confidence”. It strongly affects whether you start, persist, and bounce back after setbacks.

Self-efficacy protects and enhances wellbeing because it supports action and follow-through. When self-efficacy is strong, you are more likely to keep working towards goals such as limiting screen time, keeping a sleep routine, or resisting peer pressure to vape, even when it feels uncomfortable or inconvenient. When self-efficacy is low, thoughts like “I can’t change this” can lead to giving up, which can lock in unhealthy patterns. Self-efficacy can also support the wellbeing of others because consistent, healthy choices can shift peer expectations and make healthier behaviour feel more normal.

Example: A student feels pressure to vape at a party. Strong self-efficacy supports a clear refusal and sticking with it, even if friends tease. That refusal can also make it easier for another person to say no.

1.2 Health literacy

Health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use health information to make informed decisions. It includes understanding information correctly, judging credibility, and knowing how to access services and advice.

Health literacy protects health because young people are exposed to constant health claims online. Without health literacy, misinformation can lead to risky choices (for example, believing vaping is “just harmless vapour”, or believing sleep can be fully “caught up” on weekends with no effects). Health literacy also enhances wellbeing because it turns knowledge into action. It supports prevention (such as understanding how screen use affects sleep and mood), early recognition of problems (such as noticing signs of anxiety), and appropriate responses (such as knowing when professional support is needed). Health literacy can also support the wellbeing of others by improving the quality of information shared in families and peer groups, reducing harm caused by myths, and guiding people towards appropriate services.

Example: A teenager sees a post claiming vaping reduces stress and is safe. Strong health literacy supports checking credible Australian sources and recognising that nicotine dependence can worsen stress over time and create withdrawal cycles that feel like anxiety.

1.3 Help-seeking behaviours

Help-seeking behaviours involve noticing when you need support and reaching out to the right people or services. Support can be formal (GPs, counsellors, psychologists, youth health services, helplines) or informal (trusted adults, friends, family).

Help-seeking protects health because it supports early intervention. Many issues become more serious when they stay hidden. Getting support earlier can reduce severity, shorten recovery, and prevent other problems. Help-seeking also enhances wellbeing by building social support and strengthening skills you can use again later, including stronger coping strategies and problem-solving. Help-seeking can also strengthen the wellbeing of others because it can make support-seeking feel more normal in a friendship group, encouraging others to speak up earlier.

Example: A teenager who is vaping daily wants to stop but struggles with cravings. Support through a GP, school wellbeing staff or youth services can improve the chance of quitting and reduce relapse risk compared with trying to stop alone.

1.4 Problem-solving

Problem-solving is the ability to identify a challenge, generate options, weigh consequences, choose an action, and adjust based on results. It supports self-management by shifting behaviour from quick reactions to planned responses.

Problem-solving protects health by reducing the chance of harmful “short-term fixes”. When problems feel unsolvable, people are more likely to avoid the issue or cope through risk behaviours. Problem-solving also enhances wellbeing by reducing stress and increasing a sense of control. It links closely with self-efficacy, because when you can see a pathway through a challenge, it is easier to believe improvement is possible and to keep going. Problem-solving can also protect and enhance the wellbeing of others, especially in group settings, because it supports leadership, conflict resolution and healthier shared decisions.

Example: A teenager notices their screen use increases on stressful days. Problem-solving supports identifying triggers and building an alternative routine (for example, a short break, movement or social connection) that reduces stress without harming sleep.

1.5 Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover from adversity, persist through challenge, and adapt after setbacks. It does not mean problems do not hurt. It means you can regain stability and keep moving forward.

Resilience protects health by reducing the long-term impact of stress. Without resilience, setbacks can lead to withdrawal, hopelessness, or harmful coping behaviours. Resilience also enhances wellbeing by supporting emotional regulation, realistic optimism and staying engaged with goals, including maintaining routines that protect health when motivation drops or circumstances change. Resilience can support the wellbeing of others because resilient people are more likely to stay calm and solution-focused during shared stress, which can stabilise group dynamics.

Example: A teenager trying to reduce screen time slips back into late-night scrolling during exam week. Resilience supports returning to the plan rather than abandoning the goal.

1.6 Coping strategies

Coping strategies are specific methods used to manage stress, pressure and difficult emotions. Coping can be emotion-focused (managing feelings) or problem-focused (changing the situation). Coping is most protective when it reduces harm in both the short and long term.

Healthy coping protects health because stress is unavoidable, but the coping response can be changed. If coping relies on avoidance behaviours, health risks increase (for example, vaping to manage anxiety, or using screens late at night to escape stress, which then worsens sleep and mood). Healthy coping also enhances wellbeing by improving emotional regulation and supporting stable relationships. Coping often links with help-seeking behaviours and connectedness, because support networks can be a coping resource and can also guide someone into professional help when needed. Coping strategies can also protect and enhance the wellbeing of others by reducing “spill-over” stress into relationships.

Example: After a stressful day, a teenager uses a coping strategy (e.g. mindful colouring in) that calms the body and mind (rather than staying online late into the night). This supports sleep quality, mood and concentration the next day.

1.7 Sense of purpose

A sense of purpose is feeling that your life has direction, meaning, and goals that matter to you. Purpose can be long-term (career plans, sport pathways, values-driven contribution) or short-term (a meaningful project, a growth goal, or a commitment to a team).

Purpose protects health because it strengthens motivation and reduces the pull of short-term temptations that can undermine long-term outcomes. Purpose also enhances wellbeing by supporting hope, identity development and persistence. It can buffer stress by keeping challenges in perspective and reducing feelings of pointlessness that can contribute to risk-taking. Purpose can also enhance the wellbeing of others, because meaningful goals often involve contribution, leadership or role modelling, and purpose can increase connectedness through shared goals.

Example: A teenager values being focused and energised for sport and school. This purpose makes it more likely they prioritise sleep and reduce late-night screen use, even when friends are online.

1.8 Ethical behaviour

Ethical behaviour means acting according to moral principles such as honesty, respect, responsibility and fairness, especially when decisions affect other people. It applies to everyday relationships and health-related situations.

Ethical behaviour protects health by reducing harm and building trust. Trust increases the chance that people will seek help, share risks honestly, and accept guidance. Ethical behaviour also enhances wellbeing by supporting self-respect and reducing guilt, shame or conflict that can happen when actions clash with personal values, and by supporting safe, respectful relationships. Ethical behaviour supports the wellbeing of others by promoting safer group norms and improving fairness and accountability in health contexts, including preventing immediate harm when urgent decisions are needed.

Example: If a friend is unwell after substance use, ethical behaviour prioritises safety by seeking appropriate help quickly, even if there is fear of embarrassment or consequences.

1.9 Connectedness

Connectedness is a sense of belonging and meaningful connection with others, including family, friends, school, culture, community groups, and supportive online spaces. It is feeling valued, safe and accepted.

Connectedness protects health by reducing isolation and increasing access to support. Strong relationships buffer stress and increase the likelihood of early help-seeking. Connectedness also enhances wellbeing by strengthening identity, self-worth and stability, and by shaping norms. When a group values health, members are more likely to adopt protective behaviours. Connectedness improves the wellbeing of others by creating reciprocal support networks where people notice warning signs, intervene early and encourage safer choices.

Example: A friendship group agrees that some social time is phone-free. This improves connection, reduces screen time, and can support sleep patterns across the group.

2. How the skills work together

These skills are easiest to analyse when they are seen as a connected flow, rather than as separate “traits”. In most health issue researched topics, the pathway from risk to protection involves repeated stages: noticing a problem, understanding it, deciding to act, sticking with change, recovering after setbacks, and responding to the social environment around you.

The table below shows how the skills can combine across these stages.

This combined effect shows why strengthening the individual is rarely only about “willpower”. It is about the interaction of skills that increase capacity to act, reduce harm, and create positive ripple effects across peers, families and communities.

3. Applying the skills to a health issue: Excessive screen time

A teenager decides to reduce excessive screen time because it is affecting sleep, mood, concentration, and time with others. They notice they are often spending 6+ hours per day on social media and gaming. This pushes bedtime later and leads to tiredness at school. Then tiredness and stress can increase the urge to scroll or game for relief, creating a cycle.

In combination, these skills reduce harm for the individual through better sleep, mood and functioning. They can also improve wellbeing for others through role modelling, safer group norms and stronger support networks.