Preschool Children Wefare and Parenting Stress - Article Example

?Summary Parents undergoing stress may not be able to care for their children sufficiently especially when it comes to health and injury prevention. A study, entitled Promoting Health and Preventing Injury in Preschool Children: The Role of Parenting Stress cited in the Early Childhood Research and Practice Journal seeks to verify this issue. Many parents may suffer from stress due to the demands of taking care of children. This may be aggravated by socioeconomic and family issues, occupational demands, adolescence parenthood, and lack of social support. Other factors regarding their children such as having special needs and behavioral problems are also contributing factors to stress. In 2005, Anthony and his colleagues proved that there is indeed a link between parents’ stress and their preschoolers’ behavior especially when it comes to social competence as well as behavioral problems. The connection between measures preventing injury and promoting health in preschool-age children with self- reported stress among the parents was reviewed. The researchers, Alemagno, Niles, Shaffer-King, and Miller (2008) wanted to find out the difference in responses of the stressed parents as compared to those who were not. Fifteen Head Start programs in Ohio participated wherein 531 respondents answered the survey. The main questions asked whether the parents feel stressed most of the time. The other items focused on their respective practices regarding child safety. The subjects also received recommendations regarding child safety in relation to their answers. For example, if a guardian signified a presence of poisonous substances at home, he received poison safety information. Twenty- five dollars was given to the respondents for their time and were interviewed after 2 months. The participants were composed of 424 (79.8%) mothers, 54 (10.2) fathers, and 29 (5.5%) grandparents. Eleven (2.1%) respondents were classified as “other relative” and 13 (2.4%) of them did not specify their category. Most parents who reported that they were under stress had more probability to have missed their children’s doctor appointment and were unsure of immunization schedules. A significant number of stressed respondents lacked social support, have moved more than 3 times, and experienced financial setbacks. A large part of the parents who live with smokers were more likely to be strained. They were also more prone to leaving cigarettes or alcohol within the child’s reach and were less likely to have the poison control center’s number. Furthermore, those who stated that they have been living in old houses or apartments reported higher levels of stress. This was asked to determine lead exposure risk which has been known to be more widespread in old buildings. The results of this study make it reasonable to recommend support for families experiencing stress especially those with preschool children. Homes facing economic problems may also benefit from significant social support. A screening process regarding parenting stress may be employed in different schools or organizations. These steps may then be valuable in inhibiting danger and injuries in early childhood. However, there are controversies associated with screening parents such as social stigma, expenses, pressure towards parents, and accountability. Teachers are one of the key players in initiating these interventions since they have the position to influence the parents of their pupils. Ample rewards and time may then be needed for the educators to fully implement these ideals. The researchers then further suggest that standardized interventions be crafted to give assistance to parents suffering from stress. Groups having the mission to help families with children must be equipped with adequate resources so they can cater to the needs of stressed parents and other caregivers with the goal of reducing risks of injury for preschool children. Insights Indeed, this study is helpful in making the society aware of the impact of parents’ stress towards children’s welfare. With the stated results, recommendations may be carried out to alleviate parents’ plight for the sake of their children. The output may also be utilized by different organizations and programs that aim to improve the society. Thirteen of the respondents did not specify whether they were mothers, fathers, grandparents, or other relatives. This could have been avoided with proper supervision. Though, it is more taxing on the part of the researchers, this data could have improved the reliability and comprehensiveness of their study. In addition, since a follow up interview was conducted after 2 months, this information could have been verified. The researchers mentioned that they included the respondents’ homes whether they were old or new. However, they did not specify in their survey what categorizes a dwelling as old or otherwise. This could have been specified in the questionnaire. For instance, an old house or apartment may be something that was built in the 1800’s or before. To further improve this aspect, the researchers could have conducted a survey in the geographical areas concerned regarding the most probable period when houses and other buildings were built with a higher lead risk rate. The levels of stress among the parents could have also been verified by utilizing a more reliable tool such as a parents’ stress questionnaire. This way, the stress responses could have been measured in respect to different aspects. There could have been instances when a respondent felt stressed on that particular time only when he was answering the survey. Other parents could have been also uncertain whether they were really experiencing stress. It is fortunate that the researchers were able to compensate the subjects for their time and effort. The $25 could have motivated the parents to participate more and probably, this reward encouraged a higher frequency of honest responses. A study with enough financial support is certainly an advantage. The suggestions made to parents when there were indications of sources of risks were also suitable when it comes to information support. Granting that the parents took the advices and looked up the suggest links, the researchers have already given assistance to the respondents even if the results were not yet carried out. It makes sense that parents under stress tend to forget medical appointments more since they frequently worry and are less focused in what they are doing. According to Stewart (2011), stress can make people forget more. An individual’s memory and concentration are jeopardized due to constant anxiety. This may also explain why most of them are not so familiar with their children’s immunization schedules. Indeed, social support buffers the impacts of stress. In an article written by Scott (2007), she said that supportive friends are valuable for one’s emotional health. She further suggested that new people can be met by joining a gym, having hobbies, volunteering, and having a pet. The respondents could definitely go through burdens if these were shared with others. Cuthbertson (2007) stated that moving one’s house is one of the top 10 most stressful experiences for most people. Packing, sorting, labeling boxes, and carrying furniture are actually tiring chores that have affected the parents. This could be more taxing for families with young children since they need to be particular with favorite toys, necessary equipment for toddler or baby care, and the like. For anybody, being broke can certainly cause discomfort. Parents who worry about financial instabilities may be too preoccupied to notice certain details about their children. Some of them may also forgo some necessities due to lack of money. Dumbleton (2005) stated that money is one of the main causes of stress. Thinking of bills, mortgage, credits, and other payments makes an individual apprehensive about the present and future. A psychologist, Parrot (2006) argues that smoking increases stress. He further stated that former smokers reported lower levels of stress than current smokers. For those parents who related the presence of smokers at home, minimizing or if possible, removing them may greatly help improve their health as well as their children’s welfare. Two of the many effects of the chemical lead are anxiety and crankiness (McDonald, 2007). This may back up one of the results of the study which is a higher percentage of stress for the respondents who live in older houses. Lead has been known to be especially harmful to children aged 6 and below. Children in the formative stages are more prone to chemicals’ adverse effects. Parents and other adults surrounding a child must be wary of their behavior and dispositions. They may not be aware of it but they are actually influencing innocent lives. Though stress is a permanent part of life, adults in general should be particular on how this can affect childhood development. Reference List Alemagno, S., Niles, S., Shaffer-King, P. & Miller, W. (2008). Promoting health and preventing injury in preschool children: The role of parenting stress. Early Childhood Research and Practice Journal, 10, 2. Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v10n2/alemagno.html Cuthbertson, A. (2007). The stress of moving house. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/property/annecuthbertson/3910821/The_stress_of_moving_house/ Dumbleton, T. (2005). Causes of stress. Relaxation Emporium. Retrieved from http://relaxationemporium.com/causesofstress.html McDonald, M. (2007). Looking out for lead paint. Old House Journal. Retrieved from http://www.oldhousejournal.com/magazine/2002/november/lead_paint.shtml Parrot, A. (2006). Does cigarette smoking cause stress? American Psychologist, 54, 10. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/journals/amp.html Scott, E. (2007). Social support: The hows and whys of cultivating a circle of friends. Stress management. Retrieved from http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/a/circleoffriends.htm Stewart, K. (2011). Stress takes toll on your body and mind. Everyday Health. Retrieved from http://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety-pictures/scary-symptoms-of-stress-0118.aspx#/slide-1 Read More