Stress & Child Development

[Stress & Child Development by Russ Thompson] [Thompson argues:] - Children are biologically designed to rely on early social experiences to guide the organization of their biological systems. - Outcome of which can be both positive and negative. [Resiliency, Plasticity of Infants]: -...

[Stress & Child Development by Russ Thompson] [Thompson argues:] - Children are biologically designed to rely on early social experiences to guide the organization of their biological systems. - Outcome of which can be both positive and negative. [Resiliency, Plasticity of Infants]: - Biological resilience is crucial for survival - Infants demonstrate metabolic and perceptual adaptability in response to early stressors. - Adaptability may also create biological changes. [Fetal Programming/Early Stress Implications]: - In utero, maternal depression is linked to increased cortisol levels at 3 months - Disruption of HPA (Hypothalamic -- Pituitary -- Adrenocortical) axis function is due to factors such as: - Low SES - Maternal depression - Emotional unavailability of mother - Disrupted HPA leads to outcomes that are complex and variable: - Heightened vigilance and self-regulation problems - Poor emotional self-regulation - Poor social functioning [What does disrupted HPA function lead to]? - Decreased concentration - Decreased memory - Decreased focus and attention - Decreased self-regulation - Increased emotional reactivity [Important factors affecting the outcome of stress on child development]: - Nature of the events (What is it? How long did it last?) - Child's vulnerability / resiliency - Availability of support - Effects of prior experience on coping mechanisms [Varying outcomes from early childhood stress]: - Hyper-vigilance - Hypo-responsiveness - Stress system shuts down as a means of coping [Epigenetics]: - "The effect of environmental factors on biological function (genetic expression)" - Research clearly demonstrates that harsh parenting early and biological vulnerability are poor combination, showing an increased risk in adulthood for: - Adult conduct disorder - Criminality - Anti-social personality - [Toxic-Stress]: - Harm is a function of the nature of the child, the nature of the experience and the EPIGENETIC EFFECTS. [Allostatic load]: - Adapting to immediate stressors comes at a price - Research has well established that exposure to chronic, daily stress has a significant negative impact on long term health [How to decrease stress/lower allostatic load]? - Organized activities (physical activity + friends), proper nutrition (balanced diet), new experiences (distraction), time in nature, limiting screen time (social media\*), proper sleep schedule, safe spaces away from stressors, clean living space (coping mechanism), support systems [Biological response to stress]: - Can be effective and appropriate: - Energy allocated to threat vigilance - Strong reactions to dangers perceived - Rapid mobilization of energy - Altered immune function - That energy is not going towards normal learning, cognition and social adaptation ["Two generation" programs]: - Focus on relationships, not necessarily biological parents - Relationships can mean other caregivers such as grandparent, guardians, school community. - Targeting non biological parents and caregivers can reduce negative impact of stressors sourced with biological parents - Building research-based evidence of need for two generation programs - For this class: not necessarily two generations, but multiple caregivers