Effect of Abuse/Stress on Child Health Noble Jacob Mr. DiScala Period 2 April 6, 2021 In our world, children are the joy of human life. Parents experience their love and gentleness, nurturing them to develop in our world. Starting from childbirth, it is the responsibility of parents to take care of them and actively engage with them. As couples envision a utopian future and start a family, are they certain that it is truly what they want? Certain times, having children serve as a means of uniting the family, in hopes of rekindling relationships. As a result, children are left to suffer from ongoing conflicts and external stressors, tarnishing their mental health. Therefore, youth well-beings are compromised by overloaded tasks and familial dilemmas, this causing the poor children to be at greater risk of depression and burnout. Children’s mental health are tarnished by family matters, contributed by clashing parents and more stimuli within the home. That being so, various stressors and abuses continue to vitiate the golden years of youth causing woes, and should consequently be dealt with. School related stressors serve as a major factor in childhood gloom and unease. The school setting itself is an unsettling experience for many youth, often rocked by the presence of academic struggles and internal pressures. As stated, “Stressful experiences and emotional difficulties are therefore likely to undermine a variety of school-related competencies, including academic motivation and school engagement, goal orientation, scholastic performance, and school conduct” (Rudolph 2372). This simply shows us the drastic effects which stress may cause upon our youth. The school setting serves as a common place where anxiety and stresses intensify. School plays a well known role in children’s lives, representing a major context for development and mental health. Frankly, “Research has suggested that depression may be most strongly associated with academic stress, failure, and school conduct problems when it cooccurs” with other behaviors (Rudolph 2373). The mental health of children is severely altered through excessive work given by teachers. The homework given to clarify the days worth of learning and apply the knowledge to practice, but actually harming them mentally when it’s all just too much. Parental pressures and the social need to keep up with these societal norms serve as overloaded tasks to the children. Although homework and schooling is very beneficial to the intellectual development of a child, excessive amounts may corrode youth mental health, doing more harm than good. This school related stress deriving from, “poor academic performance, negative feedback from parents and teachers about school work, and daily hassles in the school environment” (Rudolph 2372). Many tend to turn a blind eye towards these issues as they are mere children, however, “Children as young as eight say they are under stress because of school work and relationships with their peers, according to a British study reported last month” (Small 1). Children aged eight years old undergoing stress is absolutely outrageous. As they are just a developing child, worldly troubles already bother them? Some may believe that these results imply invalid notions, but still it proves a broader issue spoken little about. Both depression and academic impairment are linked to behavior problems and attentional deficits. This just shows that little children endure great stress in their day to day life, even as though they are blooming and maturing into adulthood. Children’s anxiety skyrockets as pressures overwhelm them, as well as the burden of family issues in the household. A thirteen year old trial conducted in Dominica gathering biological data from the social life of children, presented distressing results. Stated, “Social ills such as the hardships of poverty, and interactions with peers don't stress children much. But what really does affect them is family issues” (Small 2). A run-in with friends not fazing them whatsoever, but the presence of family problems raising their cortisol levels immensely. These results implying that they may even be less inclined for schoolwork and succession through the years. It is concluded by studies too that our childhood experiences facilitate and pave the way for future tendencies, also linking them to adult diseases. One of the findings indicated that “no matter how often parents fight or leave home, the kids react just as strongly every time. Unlike adults, who adapt psychologically to a repeated stressful situation, children always react as if they were encountering it for the first time” (Small 2). Different people perceive threat in various ways. Some more dependent on family than others. Of course everyone has different lives and reactions to certain things, but accordingly, if one has traumatic experiences growing up, it is more likely that they will suffer from illnesses later on and suffer in the long run. In family experiences such as some sort of trauma whereas parents constantly feud, a psychological effect is found on the children. Time and time again, unstable home life has the power to rock children and alter their stress levels completely, diminishing their capabilities throughout. Children suffer from ongoing conflicts within the home and external stressors, both damaging their mental health. Unwanted social pressures may serve to better children and foster rivalry, however these disruptive environments harm, rather than promote positivity. Parents serve to enhance children’s confidence, rather than apply unnecessary worries in addition to their loaded lives. Children should be loved and strengthened in a stable environment, to flourish in our world and readily meet all of society’s expectations. Therefore, well-beings of youth are jeopardized by overloaded tasks and family matters, putting greater stress on them, and thereby causing depressive symptoms and lowered academic achievements. Works Cited Rudolph, Karen D. “Stress and Depression.” Encyclopedia of Education, edited by James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 7, Macmillan Reference USA, New York, NY, 2002, pp. 2371– 2374. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3403200590/SUIC?u=nysl_li_bocesnas&sid=SUIC&xid=452 2d492. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021. Small, Meredith F. “TROUBLE IN PARADISE.” New Scientist, 16 Dec. 2000, p. 34. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A68766027/SUIC?u=nysl_li_bocesnas&sid=SUIC&xid=3bd5cb 7d. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
