In Taiwan, there was a study that shows the state of mental health of the mother and father have an affect at different ages and stages of development, and that it is important to note the age and education level of the parents as well. It examined the impact of the growing trend of mothers returning to the workforce and the need for fathers to play a larger role in child rearing. If a father is experiencing any sort of depression, it tends to increase the presence of behavior problems, especially in sons. However, the presence of the fathers also offsets stress and depression in mothers, creating a positive impact on the family.
The role of age and education at childbirth should also be examined. For instance, children of older mothers have better social development at 6 months of age, but children of older fathers have worse overall development at 6 months of age and improved social development at 18 months of age. This highlights the importance of preparing parents of any age for the role they are to play.
In Australia, a different study showed the impact of the behaviors and emotional development of children diagnosed with autism on parents. It found that there is more stress felt by mothers, but that fathers experience more stress that those of children without a diagnosis. This study highlights the importance of both early intervention for the child and adequate and abundant support for the families. We often forget that families take on the stress that a child with special needs presents and it is part of our job to support them in their journey to find resources, services, and support groups.
Currently, I see a need for increased support for families. We may have become "experts" in teaching their children, but we need to remember that our commitment is to the success of the child and the child does not come to us as an individual. There are parents, extended family members, and friends that are part of the child's life that have an effect on that success. In the future, I would like to be able to provide more extensive support to families in simple ways such as support or networking groups, newsletters, trainings, and connections with community resources for them.
References:
Lung, F., Shu, B., Chiang, T., & Lin, S. (2009). Parental mental health, education, age at childbirth and child development from six to 18 months. Acta Paediatrica, 98(5), 834-841. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.01166.x
Herring, S. S., Gray, K. K., Taffe, J. J., Tonge, B. B., Sweeney, D. D., & Einfeld, S. S. (2006). Behaviour and emotional problems in toddlers with pervasive developmental disorders and developmental delay: Associations with parental mental health and family functioning. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 50(12), 874-882. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2006.00904.x
I really like the discussion on remembering the stress of parents. Being a parent is stressfull enough, but when we add other stressors like having a child with special needs or some of the enormous stressors other countries have the stress level is multiplied. In what ways do you think we can support parents, even if we can't eliminate their stressors?
ReplyDeleteThe statement "children of older fathers have worse overall development at 6 months of age and improved social development at 18 months of age" was interesting to me. I wonder why older fathers have this effect. Is it maybe because they are tired and don't want to deal with fatherhood?
ReplyDeleteThe topic of mental health and well being in parents and families is so important. You made an important point about the importance of supporting not just children, but also supporting parents and families, because these do affect the child's development. You are passionate about what you do and it sounds like you have some great ideas about how to reach out and support your families. Do you have support at your workplace to put these ideas into action? No doubt these efforts will make a positive, lasting impact on families and children.
ReplyDelete