Consequences of Stress on Children's Development
Every child deals with some type of stress throughout his or her life. One stress I can remember from my childhood was when my parents separated and thought about divorcing. My parents barely fought in front of my siblings and me, so it was a shock when they sat us down and told us this news. I didn't understand how this could be happening. I was scared of what would happen to us kids if they did get divorced. Who would we live with? What would become of our "happy" family?
Because we were young children, my parents thought it would be best if we would talk to a counselor, by ourselves and together as a family. And that's what we did. However, not only was I able to talk to a professional about what I was feeling, my parents were extra supportive during this difficult time, which lasted for a little more than a year. I can't remember how much and if either of these things helped me back then, but I know it did affect my future relationships with other people. It was hard for me to trust people, especially men. I finally realized what happened with my parents was between them and it didn't mean the same thing was going to happen in my own relationships.
Due to it being prominent in the news, I choose to look at the toxic stress that is effecting children from countries in Central America as they try to immigrate to the United States. Most of the children endure a life filled toxic stress such as violence and poverty. These young children are more likely to experience depression or anxiety, have anger or aggression issues, and social and cognitive developmental problems as they grow into adults. To minimize the harmful effects, parents and communities should work together to support a healthy environment. It is a difficult task to undertake and there is much work to be done to reduce the stress from children's lives.
Reference:
Alvira-Hammond, M. (2014). Understanding the risks to the children crossing the border. Retrieved
from https://www.childtrends.org/understanding-the-risks-to-the-children-crossing-the-border
Because we were young children, my parents thought it would be best if we would talk to a counselor, by ourselves and together as a family. And that's what we did. However, not only was I able to talk to a professional about what I was feeling, my parents were extra supportive during this difficult time, which lasted for a little more than a year. I can't remember how much and if either of these things helped me back then, but I know it did affect my future relationships with other people. It was hard for me to trust people, especially men. I finally realized what happened with my parents was between them and it didn't mean the same thing was going to happen in my own relationships.
Due to it being prominent in the news, I choose to look at the toxic stress that is effecting children from countries in Central America as they try to immigrate to the United States. Most of the children endure a life filled toxic stress such as violence and poverty. These young children are more likely to experience depression or anxiety, have anger or aggression issues, and social and cognitive developmental problems as they grow into adults. To minimize the harmful effects, parents and communities should work together to support a healthy environment. It is a difficult task to undertake and there is much work to be done to reduce the stress from children's lives.
Reference:
Alvira-Hammond, M. (2014). Understanding the risks to the children crossing the border. Retrieved
from https://www.childtrends.org/understanding-the-risks-to-the-children-crossing-the-border
Hello Marlisa
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you had to deal with that type of stressor as a child. I could only imagine how you felt dealing with that devastating news. Divorce is something that is very prominent and it has a major affect on people no matter what age. Giving counseling options or talking with friends and family can help children cope with issues like this. I'm glad you were able to come to the realization on your own concerning your future, I wish you the best.
Thank you for sharing. Children always pay for divorce. To go through this experience for sure effects and impacts you as a child and stays until adulthood. Sharing experiences with others help to find positive ways to get rid of these negative feelings and find new ways to deal and learn from previous experiences..
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