Children: development, behavior, and well-being

Confronting Childhood Stress: Identification and Acknowledgment

The relationship between the brain, the body and the nervous system tends to receive its most suitable investigations within the field of clinical psychology. Among the most important tasks to be taken up in the last two decades in the drive to better our understanding of this symbiosis has been our contention with the endemic condition of stress. Both a natural apparatus of the human body and a potentially devastating health condition, the management of stress is seen as an important stepping stone to rectifying such public hazards as heart-disease, substance abuse and depression. Even in recognizing the perils of unchecked or poorly integrated stress, the psychiatric community has still grappled with the appropriate ways to diagnose and treat the condition and its effects. This is because defining and categorizing stress can be a very elusive task. Stress as a psychological condition may be a chronic one that is consistently debilitating to the subject. But just as often, stress may be induced by factors that are situational and thus merely a matter of the subject's removing stressors or composing mechanisms to cope with said stressors. Such a discernment is to be made by a qualified therapist, who will have the background educationally and within the context of each individual case to determine whether a patient requires medication or simply circumstantial change in order to sustain stress in a functional manner. This is a discernment which is made all the more complex when contending with children, who will also experience stress but who must overcome a variety of obstacles that are unique to stress amongst youths. Namely, children may lack the coping mechanisms or emotional development to proper interpret and resolve stress issues. Without assistance, the child may not even recognize that stress is the source of anxiety, distraction, depression or inappropriate behavior. Child psychologists and school counselors will often be required to help the subject identify this as the permeating issue. Parents and teachers must also play a role in this regard so that children who are essentially issuing a cry for help through abnormal or divergent behavior may be more clearly heard. The research here conducted would offer some insight into the signs to look for where such stress challenges may be present. Accordingly, the research notes that "the two most frequent indicators that children are stressed are change in behaviors and regression of behaviors. Children under stress change their behavior and react by doing things that are not in keeping with their usual style. Behaviors seen in earlier phases of development, such as thumb sucking and regression in toileting, may reappear." (DeBord, 1) This article therefore offers us the assessment that children who are experiencing excessive stress or experiencing stress in an unhealthy way at a young age will tend to present signs of this which can be detected if attendant adults know what to look for. Too frequently though, it is not just the case that adults do not know what to look for, but that they take a perspective which is contrary to the prevailing findings of our current research. Such is to say that even more pressing a challenge for afflicted children and adolescents is the failure of adults to take seriously the implications and realities of childhood stress. To many parents, teachers and guardians, the idea that a child would suffer from stress seems irrational, under the presupposition that children have far fewer responsibilities and obligations from which to generate feelings of pressure or stress. This, the discussion here below contends, is a view which overlooks both the rigors of growing up which include one's first attempts at socialization, the formative imposition of learning goals and the departure from the confines of one's home and family. When we add such stimuli as academic struggles, emotional disturbance, parental discord, patterns of abuse or the experience of some other childhood trauma, the patterns of childhood stress can have a fundamentally damaging impact in later years if not properly addressed. School counselors contend with this issue in a number of ways which will naturally vary based on the individual subject's needs and disposition. However, the common challenge pervading the practice of this field is the likely correlation between the experience of childhood stress and the presence of some other obstructive force. So indicates an article from ERIC Digest (2004) in which it is reported that "adapting or managing stress appears to be highly dependent on a child's developmental capabilities and coping-skill inventory. Researchers suggest that children under the age of 6 are developmentally less capable of (1) thinking about an event in its entirety; (2) selecting from a menu of possible behaviors in response to any new, interesting, or anxiety-inducing event; (3) comprehending an event separate from their own feelings; and (4) modifying their physical reactions in response to change in stimuli." (Jewett & Peterson, 1) It is here implied that one's intellect or self-awareness may be directly relevant to one's opportunity to recognize and contend with the products of stress such as heightened emotional tension and a difficulty putting into sensible order the pedestrian challenges of one's life. This suggests that stress is a condition with which many individuals are capable of coping without appealing to psychological counseling or medical attention. Indeed, stress is a normal part of human existence and its symptoms will occur in even the most psychologically sound individuals. Still, there exists a threshold past which some are specifically permeable to the negative repercussions of stress. Buffers to stress such as the ability to employ practical coping methods to contend with obstacles and the presence of meaningful human support in times of crisis may have a large hand in placing this threshold. A 1985 text on the subject observes that "effective buffers to stress are not only related to the availability of the repertoire of coping skills and support resources but also to the competency of the stressed person in knowing which needs are most important to deal with and being able to seek external support in a way which does not alienate others as well as the competency of persons in the network in perceiving which of the stressed person's needs are the most important to deal with and providing the needed support in a clear but noncontrolling fashion." (Fields, et al, xv) This is a clear point of interest for the child counselor, who must approach childhood stress with the intention of helping the subject devise the necessary instruments to adjust to stressors. The support of a counselor should be viewed in this context as a stepping stone to promoting the type of self-sufficiency and developmental independence that makes stressors manageable. Like adults, children are most frequently invoked to stress by a set of conditions which though challenging, are likely to bear some normalcy and, with it, the suggestion that healthy and functional individuals will be able to manage these challenging conditions. Of course, this is to indicate, stress is normal in individuals at every age.

This speaks to the larger fact within the discourse over stress, that its impact upon individuals is likely to vary across an infinitely large spectrum that will be nuanced by a wide range of mitigating factors. A person's unique individual constitution, his circumstances and the support systems which exist around him will all have the effect of shaping the health consequences of stress. Also, as the text points out, the presence of positive relationships wherein individuals are uniquely able to mollify the effects of the subject's stress will play a role in the subject's success in coping. This of course speaks to the important role played by parents, teachers and even other children in helping one reduce the sources or stress or better manage its imposition. The capability for a child to cope with a stressor, such as academic failure, crises in the forging of a social identity or familial hardship will not necessarily be determined as much by the nature of the stressor as by the disposition of the sufferer. In such cases, the child will usually begin to exhibit signs that something is wrong. It falls upon the parent or teacher to note these symptoms and to interpret them accordingly, as these will often be the only warning signs before inappropriate stress-coping begins to take on more volatile forms. So denotes DeBoard (1999), who contends that it is not extraordinary to experience the pressures of stress but that "problems begin when ordinary stress becomes too much stress - or distress. There are a variety of reasons for children to feel stress. Death, divorce, remarriage, moving, long illness, abuse, family or community violence, natural disaster, fear of failure, and cultural conflict may heighten stress." (DeBord, 1) When such stressors begin to appear in one's life, those especially who may not have developed the coping mechanisms to put these traumatic experiences into context are likely to experience said stressors with a greater intensity of symptoms. It is thus important to note that in spite of the complexities that separate individuals in their susceptibility to the symptoms of stress, all are vulnerable to it. And according to studies conducted within the last decade, that vulnerability exists on an extremely elastic scale. Such is to say that the bodily and emotional responses to stress which are most commonly manifested as an accelerated heart-rate, heightened blood pressure, logical disorientation and shortness of breath may at first be the practical reactions which are levied against stressful situations. As we consider stress in children, this helps to point us toward a strategy not of removing stress, which as a general rule of life is essentially unfeasible, but of achieving more effective and proven methods of stress management. Coping mechanisms for young sufferers of stress can also be used to help children better understand the nature and implications of stress. It does bear noting that in and of itself, stress does not possess a negative connotation. As point of fact, stress is an important inducer of the survival instincts that incline us to the fight or flight impulses which are at our disposal when confronted by conflict. When contending with stress, such as in the clich?d example where one encounters a hungry bear in the woods, the body undergoes a complete set of responses that are autonomic rather than cognitive. In the context of the issues pertaining to childhood stressors, this might instead be an unwanted encounter with the school bully in the playground. In both instances, the individual's heart and blood systems, his sensory organs, his brain and his lungs are all engaged in heightened activity in anticipation of the person's elevation in action. Inevitably, the individual will be forced to make a decision between facing the bear (bully) or running. In either case, the body has undertaken the necessary steps to propel the response. However, the physiological preparedness which overtakes the body as a knee-jerk response to stress can be cultivated and transformed from survival instinct to mental impediment with the sustained application of stress-inducing factors. Ultimately, the set of fight or flight responses which the body had previously reserved for urgent circumstance, can become the involuntary response to stressors large and small. Equally as troubling is the reality that such a condition may be worsened, rather than assimilated, by the consistent presence of said stressors. Such is to indicate that the severity of the physical symptoms of stress may be elevated as an individual gradually concedes the ability to ward off the impractical knee-jerk response of fight or flight to stress in all of its forms. This process, known as stress sensitization, "is uncharitably subversive. While the chemical signals systems of body and brain are running amok in a person sensitized to stress, the person's perception of stress remains unchanged. It's as if the brain, aware that the burner on the stove is cool, still signals the body to jerk its hand away. 'What happens is that sensitization leads the brain to re-circuit itself in response to stress,' says psychologist Michael Meaney, Ph.D., of McGill University. 'we know that what we are encountering may be a normal, everyday episode of stress, but the brain is signaling the body to respond inappropriately." (Carpi, 1) This is a demonstration of the potentially severe long-term emotional consequences of failing to manage or reign in symptoms of stress and the related coping mechanisms demonstrated in children. This means that even an individual equipped with the cognitive abilities referred to above may find it increasingly difficult to cope with stress by appealing to practical thinking. The physical reactions to stress which can be so taxing on one's capacity to assimilate challenges and function effectively under duress are those which, with the sustained pressure of stress, may become impossible to resolve through one's own cognitive resources and support systems. In such instances, psychological attention may become necessary in order to reverse the process of gradually invasive stress sensitivity. Indeed, in spite of the differences that persist between individual constitutions, there are ways to help those who suffer unduly from stress to handle stressful conditions more appropriately. So denotes the text by Molgaard (1996), which reports that all "children react differently to stress. Some seem to be born with easy-going personalities. From infancy, they take life in stride, getting along with others and adjusting to changes. Other children are upset easily, being bothered by new situations and routines as well as more challenging events. Children's personalities develop from what they inherit genetically and from the environment in which they grow up. You cannot change characteristics your children inherited, but there are many ways for them to learn to manage stress." (Molgaard, 2) This is where the work of the child counselor becomes essential to the discussion, as there are a wide array of strategies available to this professional in helping a child to become better suited for the stresses of later life. The failure to address stress in these formative years does not just threaten to darken these early stages of development with negative feelings and recollections of anxiety. Further, such a failure could help to retain the child in this state of coping incapacity as the challenges in life only gain greater nuance and complexity. Where the individual is never properly taught how to integrate challenges into a normal and healthy response system, the symptoms of stress observed during childhood could be emotionally and practically crippling as the individual reaches maturity. So indicates the text by DeBoard, which is particularly concerned with the consequences of not properly inducing an automatic appeal to stress management techniques or coping mechanisms. Here, the author cites the bevy of health concerns which are directly associated with stress disorders or personal stress management limitations. As one approaches one's teen years, the failure to have adopted some such strategies to a positive effect may prefigure some serious, lasting and even fatal emotional problems. Underscoring the seriousness of this as a public health issue, DeBord notes that "adolescents and teens under stress may feel angry longer, feel disillusioned, lack self-esteem, and have a general distrust of the world. Sometimes adolescents will show extreme behaviors ranging from doing everything they are asked, to rebelling and breaking all of the rules and taking part in high-risk behaviors (drugs, shoplifting, skipping school). Depression and suicidal tendencies are concerns." (DeBord, 2) To this end, DeBord provides the discussion with a clear rationale for a more intent focus on providing public information and in-school training for teachers, parents and counselors to better identify signs of stress and to assist students in developing effective coping strategies. Most assuredly, the potential of very serious and unwanted long-term consequences illustrates that the perspective taken by many adults-that childhood stress is a fleeting and minor condition-is incorrect and potentially dangerous. The discussion here denotes that childhood stress must be taken seriously if we are to effectively diagnose and treat fomenting mental health challenges that could potentially emerge as something more catastrophic. Though this discussion does center around the roles taken by support systems and school counselors in helping the afflicted subject, individual empowerment does remain the key to proper stress management. Indeed, the most important consideration in treating stress rests with the individual, who must integrate coping strategies into everyday life. Self-awareness is crucial if one is to recognize the symptoms in himself and treat them by seeking out balance, proper integration of challenges and the ability to put everyday tasks into perspective. This also means that parents, teachers and society in general have to take a step back and reconsider that which is being asked of our children. Though it is important to do well in school and remain heavily involved in enrichment activities, there are inherent dangers in overburdening children against their individual wills. As one source denotes, "Many kids are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school. Kids who complain about the number of activities they're involved in or refuse to go to them may be signaling that they're overscheduled." (KidsHealth, 1) without a doubt, one of the most important features to altering the path of children who feel overstressed is the ability of parents to recognize and adjust to such signals. This demonstrates childhood stress to be a shared responsibility.