Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor that affected my friend was the death of her father when she was six, which led to situational poverty for her family. Her father was the only person employed and her mother had never worked or even finished high school. My friend went through depression and withdrawal from socializing with her friends. Her mother was so depressed that she was unable to care for her children. The family went from having their own home to living with her grandparents.  This event in my friend’s life affected her childhood development.

My friend was very lucky because she and her mother had support from other family members that helped them through a difficult time. They were allowed to grieve because my friend’s grandparents supported them in a safe and loving environment.  The grandparents recognized that the grief was so severe, that they really needed to go to counseling. This helped them complete the grieving process.

Today, my friend is a mental health counselor for young women who have substance abuse problems. She wanted to give back to young women like she had gotten from her counselor when her father died so unexpectedly. Being forced into situational poverty put their family into survival mode. Their basic resources were wiped out. They lost their home along with the sudden change in their family structure. Young children are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of change, disruption, and uncertainty in their life's.

My thoughts about children’s stressors in foreign countries took me to Haiti. I wondered what might be their stressors today. As I researched I found that children are now being treated for post traumatic stress disorder.  This is because of the devastating earthquake there in 2010.  These children saw deaths of loved ones and were exposed to extreme violence. Many still suffer from sleeping problems, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and feelings of hopelessness. Children and mental health care workers face many challenges with these children because there is still numerous adults and children displaced from the earthquake.

Reference

Derivois, D., Merisier, G.G., Cenat, J., & Castelot, V. (2013, in press). Symptoms of traumatic stress disorder and social support among children and adolescents after the 2010 Haitian earthquake. Journal of Loss and Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress and Coping.