Category: Child Psychology

The Surprising Changes In The Brains Of Children With Harsh Parents

A 10-year study reveals how harsh parenting may shape the way children respond to fear long into adolescence.

A 10-year study reveals how harsh parenting may shape the way children respond to fear long into adolescence.

People brought up by harsh parents can become fearful adults, new research shows.

Harsh parents are more likely to spank, shake or frequently become angry with their children.

Researchers found important differences in the brain’s fear-processing circuits among adolescents who had experienced harsh parenting.

People who are naturally anxious may become especially sensitive to threats later in life if they experience harsh parenting.

Early spanking has been linked to greater negative emotions, such as irritability, other research has already shown.

Spanking children is also associated with:

  • Poorer mental development.
  • Weaker emotional ties between parents and children.
  • Increased risk that the child will hit other children.
  • Increased risk that the child will later hit their partner.

Dr Valérie La Buissonnière-Ariza, the study’s first author, said:

“It’s already well-known that adversity in childhood can have lot of negative consequences psychologically and socially.

We wanted to look at the more ‘benign’ incidences of adversity: parents who yell at their children, slap them on the hand or bottom, take them by the arms and give them a shake to discipline them.

What we were surprised to find is that not only did these kinds of ‘harsh parenting’ affect children’s behaviour into their teens, they were also related to changes in the functioning of their brain, especially in terms of processing fear and anxiety.”

Real differences in the brain

For the study, 84 adolescents were given a ‘fear conditioning task’, involving looking at faces and hearing a piercing scream.

The researchers followed them for 10 years and grouped them according to the level of harsh parenting they experienced.

Brain scans revealed that young people exposed to harsh parenting processed fear differently.

Dr La Buissonnière-Ariza said:

“I know it’s easy to lose patience and want to lash out, but I’m totally against slapping a child.

My goal isn’t to guilt-trip anyone…But I do want parents to think about what they do and realize that some kinds of disciplining aren’t as harmless as they might seem.

They could actually affect a child’s brain, how it processes fear, especially when it’s done over a long period of time.

And no one should take that lightly.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Biological Psychology (La Buissonnière-Ariza et al., 2019).

This Kind Of Parental Support May Hold Young Adults Back (M)

More support isn’t always better when young people enter adulthood.

More support isn't always better when young people enter adulthood.

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The Critical Difference Between Children Who Overcome Adversity And Those Who Don’t

Three-quarters of people report at least one adverse childhood event.

Three-quarters of people report at least one adverse childhood event.

Positive childhood experiences play an important role in keeping people healthy — particularly among those who have experienced adversity in childhood.

Childhood trauma, like abuse, the death of a relative, having a family member in jail, addiction and divorce, can have serious health consequences later on.

Adults who survived these difficult childhood environments face higher risks of smoking, obesity, and depression later in life.

However, children who experience childhood adversity, but also have enough positive experiences to balance them out, can recover and thrive.

Positive experiences can include:

  • Good friends and neighbours,
  • opportunities to have fun,
  • feeling safe with a caregiver,
  • predictable home routines,
  • regular mealtimes,
  • and caring teachers.

All of these can help to reduce the harmful effects of childhood trauma.

Dr Ali Crandall, the study’s first author, said:

“If your child has experienced trauma and you’re worried about the long-term impact it could have on them, these findings show that the positive experiences in childhood lead to better adult physical and mental health, no matter what they have faced.”

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can also include abandonment and a relative with mental health problems.

Dr Crandall said:

“As bad as ACEs may be, the absence of these positive childhood experiences and relationships may actually be more detrimental to lifelong health so we need more focus on increasing the positive.”

Positive outweighs the negative

The conclusions come from a study of 246 people who completed an online survey.

While three-quarters of the participants reported at least one adverse childhood event — averaging nearly three per person — their positive experiences far outweighed the bad.

The average for positive experiences, though, was over 8.

The study found that no matter what people had been through as children, positive experiences helped them to recover and promoted better lifelong health.

Dr Crandall said:

“Other adults in a child’s life that are not the parent, like extended family, teachers, neighbors, friends and youth leaders all help to increase the number of counter ACEs and boosts lifelong health.”

The study was published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect (Crandall et al., 2019).

The Web Of Habits Trapping Young People In Poor Mental Health (M)

Scientists have mapped the self-reinforcing loops keeping young adults trapped in a cycle of poor sleep and low mood.

Scientists have mapped the self-reinforcing loops keeping young adults trapped in a cycle of poor sleep and low mood.

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One Parenting Mistake Linked To Raising A Psychopath

Typical callous-unemotional traits linked to psychopathy include cheating, lying and a lack of remorse.

Typical callous-unemotional traits linked to psychopathy include cheating, lying and a lack of remorse.

Parents who mistreat their offspring are more likely to raise children with psychopathic traits.

Both girls and boys who are subject to harsh and negative parenting are at a greater risk of developing callous-unemotional traits, which can develop into psychopathy.

Typical callous-unemotional traits include cheating, lying and a lack of remorse.

While the connection is well-known in males, this is one of the first studies to include females.

Ms Bridget Joyner, the study’s first author, said:

“Most studies that have looked at similar associations have not included females in their samples; it’s been strictly males.”

The study included over 4,000 young people whose callous-emotional traits were assessed along with any childhood maltreatment.

The results showed that poor parental treatment was linked to callous-unemotional traits in both sexes, although the association was weaker among females.

Callous-unemotional traits are considered an early warning sign for psychopathy, a condition associated with a higher risk of criminal behaviour.

Professor Kevin Beaver, study co-author, said:

“We know that males tend to respond to adverse experiences in more external ways, through behavior and other visible traits.

Females are more likely to internalize.

That can mean developing things like chronic stress, anxiety and depression.”

Callous-emotional traits are thought to be one way that young people cope with their harsh upbringing, said Ms Joyner:

“The development of these traits is thought to make them more withdrawn and help to protect them from being hurt again.”

If childhood maltreatment could be identified earlier, it may be possible to slow or stop the development of undesirable personality traits, said Ms Joyner:

“It’s important to be able to identify the risk factors that tell us how to look at and treat these individuals and to impede the development of these traits.

And when we can’t impede them then we need to treat them for it so the pattern isn’t repeated.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect (Joyner & Beaver, 2021).

Self-Controlled People Are Raised By Fathers Who Do This

Self-control is repeatedly found to be vital for success in relationships, work and even for good mental health.

Self-control is repeatedly found to be vital for success in relationships, work and even for good mental health.

Four decades of research reveal that people whose fathers played with them more as children grow up with stronger self-control.

Up to the age of three, playtime with Dad seems to have a particularly beneficial effect.

Men tend to play in more physical ways, the researchers found, including giving piggy-back rides, tickling and chasing.

This may help children learn to control their feelings.

As a result, they may find it easier to regulate their behaviour later in life.

Self-control is repeatedly found to be vital for success in relationships, work and even for good mental health.

Professor Paul Ramchandani, the study’s first author, said:

“It’s important not to overstate the impact of father-child play as there are limits to what the research can tell us, but it does seem that children who get a reasonable amount of playtime with their father benefit as a group.”

Four decades of evidence

The conclusions come from a review of 78 separate studies carried out over four decades.

The results showed that most fathers play with their children every day.

However, fathers tend to play more physically with their children.

With babies, fathers tend to lift them up more, while with toddlers they engage in more rough-and-tumble play.

The researchers found that children who played more with their fathers were less likely to develop emotional and behavioural problems later in life and were also at lower risk of hyperactivity.

Professor Ramchandani said:

“Physical play creates fun, exciting situations in which children have to apply self-regulation.

You might have to control your strength, learn when things have gone too far — or maybe your father steps on your toe by accident and you feel cross!

It’s a safe environment in which children can practise how to respond. If they react the wrong way, they might get told off, but it’s not the end of the world — and next time they might remember to behave differently.”

Mothers can, of course, support physical play, just the same as fathers, said Professor Ramchandani:

“One of the things that our research points to time and again is the need to vary the types of play children have access to, and mothers can, of course, support physical play with young children as well.

Different parents may have slightly different inclinations when it comes to playing with children, but part of being a parent is stepping outside your comfort zone.

Children are likely to benefit most if they are given different ways to play and interact.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Developmental Review (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020).

Why Some People Thrive Despite Harsh Childhoods (M)

Difficult childhoods increase the risk of poor mental health — but the story doesn’t end there.

Difficult childhoods increase the risk of poor mental health -- but the story doesn’t end there.

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Why Preschoolers Beat College Students At This Reasoning Game (M)

Simple test of logic produces surprising win for young children over college students.

Simple test of logic produces surprising win for young children over college students.

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Why A Happy Childhood Isn’t Enough For Good Mental Health

Mental health problems can strike anyone.

Mental health problems can strike anyone.

A happy childhood does not guarantee against developing mental health problems later on.

Even people who experience many positive early childhood experiences can go on to develop anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues.

This shows how mental health problems can strike anyone.

The research also reaffirms the connection between negative childhood experiences and mental health problems, like depression and paranoia.

While childhood experiences can set the tone for our lives, they do not determine our destiny.

Instead, our mental health often hinges on our ability to adapt to stressful circumstances in adulthood.

Those who struggle to cope are more likely to succumb to these conditions.

The conclusions come from a study that tracked over 300 children in Australia.

Ms Bianca Kahl, the study’s first author, said:

“This research shows that mental health conditions are not solely determined by early life events, and that a child who is raised in a happy home, could still grow up to have a mental health disorder.

There’s certainly some missing factors in understanding how our childhood environment and early life experiences might translate into mental health outcomes in adulthood.

We suspect that it’s our expectations about our environments and our ability to adapt to scenarios when our expectations are not being met, that may be influencing our experiences of distress.

If, as children, we learn how to adapt to change, and we learn how to cope when things do not go our way, we may be in a better position to respond to stress and other risk factors for poor mental health.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Current Psychology (Kahl et al., 2020).

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