Stress and Children's Development

Residential fire is a very common disaster.  Fires cause emotional distress as well as physical damage.  Fire threatens life and property.  They are unpredictable, uncontrollable, and terrifying.  Children often are affected by what they see during and after a fire, whether or not they are physically injured.  The best predictor of post- fire distress in children appears to be how frightening the experience of the fire was and the extent of the loss (NCTSN, 2015).  At the age of 6, my best friend, Rosalyn, who was 7, lost everything in a house fire.  Fortunately, everyone got out safely and there was no loss of life nor did anyone suffer any physical injury.  However, the months that followed were very difficult for Rosalyn emotionally.  She had trouble sleeping due to recurrent dreams that caused her to relive the night of the fire.  She would wake screaming for her mom and dad.  Anytime she heard a siren, she would become very frightened.  She was also protective of her belongings from that point on.  She had lost everything in the fire.  She experienced increased worry about the safety of her family, friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors, and herself.  She worried that there would be another fire.  For months, she was irritable, sad, and had trouble leaving her parents.  She also was absent from school more because of headaches and stomachaches.  Her parents, family, church, and friends helped her to cope.  Her parents reassured her and maintained normal structure and routines.  They were understanding of her feelings.  They were able to keep her in the same community and school.  The family also sought counselling together.  Their friends and church came together and quickly helped them to replace their lost clothing and toys for Rosalyn.  The church provided them with shelter while they waited for insurance claims and their home to be rebuilt.  Resources, counselling, and their love for each other helped them to cope through this time of great stress.  Eventually, Rosalyn and her family overcame their emotional stress without any lasting effects on Rosalyn’s biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development, but it took quite some time.  If not for the support they received and strong family bonds, the outcome could have been different.  

Brain Synapses

A fire undermines a family’s sense of safety.  Losing one's home and property can lead to depression and elevated levels of distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Following a fire, families may face financial hardship and medical problems.  Parents may feel confused and frustrated as they deal with insurance companies and disaster assistance agencies.  Families should not underestimate the cumulative emotional effects of evacuation, displacement, relocation, and/or rebuilding.  The physical and emotional recovery process following a fire can be lengthy (NCTSN, 2015).

Child Abuse in Industrialized Nations                                  

Almost 3,500 children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse and neglect every year in the industrialized world. Two children die from abuse and neglect every week in Germany and the United Kingdom, three per week in France, four per week in Japan, and 27 per week in the United States . The risk of death by maltreatment is approximately three times greater for infants than for those ages one to four. The risk doubles for those ages five to fourteen.  A small group of countries – Spain, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Norway – appear to have an exceptionally low incidence of child maltreatment deaths. Five nations including Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Hungary, and France have levels of child maltreatment deaths that are four to six times higher than the average for the leading countries. Three countries including the United States, Mexico, and Portugal  have rates that are between 10 and 15 times higher than the average for the leading countries. Poverty, stress, partner abuse,  as well as drug and alcohol abuse appear to be the factors that are the most closely and consistently associated with child abuse and neglect.

In addition to immediate pain and any long-term physical damage, the maltreatment of children can weaken the ability to thrive and develop normally. It can damage the ability to learn, to communicate, to form attachments, and to interact normally with others. It can cause anxiety, depression, aggression, and a lowered sense of self-worth. Obviously, it can and often does result in severe psychological impairment and behavioral difficulties.  Long-term effects include a greater tendency to physical inactivity, tobacco use, alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behavior, and suicide.

Strategies are in place to try to reduce and prevent child abuse in industrialized nations, which include the appointment of children’s ombudspersons in several OECD countries, the setting up of child help-lines, the growing sophistication and integration of home visiting services, the increase in media coverage, and the closer monitoring of children considered at risk. Specific instances showing of concern include the campaign to combat all forms of violence recently launched by the Council of Europe and the regular reports on child protection measures now being provided by most industrialized countries to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Seven countries have banned spanking as a legal form of discipline. What is the answer to reducing or preventing the maltreatment of the world’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens?  Is it in reducing poverty, strengthening and supporting families, and/or banning spanking.  UNICEF’S report (2003) quotes Neil Guterman,  “We not only face a moral imperative to work to end this all-too-common form of victimization and deprivation of our youngest citizens. We also face a societal imperative, confronting us with the reality that child abuse and neglect, particularly experienced early in life, form the taproot of some of the most destructive and costly social problems of our day, including substance and alcohol abuse, problematic school performance, juvenile delinquency and crime, later-life depression, and domestic violence” (p.19).

References

NCTSN.  (2015). Retrieved from http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/natural-disasters/fires/residential-fires

UNICEF. (2003). “A league table of child maltreatment deaths in rich nations.” Innocenti Report Card No.5.  UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence.  Retrieved from http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/repcard5e.pdf

Child Development and Public Health: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

I chose to write about this topic because it is relative to my work with infants. I have never experienced SIDS but it was my worst fear when my own children were babies, my worst fear related to my grandchildren, and my worst fear in my work.

The Safe to Sleep^® campaign, formerly known as the Back to Sleep campaign, has helped educate millions of caregivers—parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, babysitters, child care providers, health care providers, and others—about ways to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death (NICHD, 2015). The Mayo Clinic (2015) defines sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as “the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old” (para. 1).  Since infants often die in their cribs, SIDS is often referred to as crib death.  While the exact cause is unknown, research finds a link to the section of an infant's brain that governs breathing and arousal from sleep. Research finds that the most important thing parents, caregivers, and anyone who cares for infants can do to reduce the risk of SIDS or help to prevent it is to always place the baby on its back to sleep. (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Public health used the research and initiated a Back to Sleep campaign. After the launch of the Back-to-Sleep campaign in 1994, the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome declined by more than 50 percent, and then plateaued.  In an another study "Risk Factor Changes for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome After Initiation of Back-to-Sleep Campaign​," in April 2012, pediatric researchers examine whether the predominant risk factors involved in SIDS deaths have changed in the Back-to-Sleep era (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012).  Other factors were discovered that put a baby at risk, which include low birthweight, repertory infection, sleeping on the stomach or side, sleeping on a soft surface, and sleeping with parents.  Additional risks include sex, age, race, secondhand smoke, family history, and pre-term birth.  Research still finds that the most important thing parents, caregivers, and anyone who cares for infants can do to reduce the risk of SIDS or help to prevent it is to always place the baby on its back to sleep.  Additionally, parents and all caregivers can keep the crib as bare as possible, avoid overheating the baby, allow the baby to sleep alone in his or her crib, breast-feed the baby, and offer a pacifier (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012; Mayo Clinic, 2015).

In Australia, there were about 550 infant deaths per year from SIDS. Following the initiation of their safe sleep campaign in 1988, the instances of SIDS have reduced to less than 100.  The recommendations for safe sleep is to place baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side for sleep and to sleep baby with head and face uncovered. It also recommends keeping baby smoke free before birth and after, providing a safe sleeping environment night and day, sleeping baby in their own safe sleeping place in the same room as an adult caregiver for the first six to twelve months, and breastfeeding baby (Sids and Kids, 2015).

It appears that both countries recommend sleeping the baby on their back, avoiding tobacco, and a safe sleep environment. Any differences are a matter of culture. The information I have found I already use in my classroom but I have decided to share it with my parents to encourage their practice of safe sleep.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2012). "Risk Factor Changes for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome After Initiation of Back-to-Sleep Campaign.” Retrieved from​http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/4/630

Mayo Clinic.  (2015). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20020269

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD]. (2015). Explore the Campaign. Safe to Sleep Public Education Campaign. Retrieved from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/campaign/Pages/default.aspx

Sids and Kids. (2015). Safe Sleeping. Retrieved from http://www.sidsandkids.org/safe-slee