Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) program is used to assess young children, their caregivers, and the program environment. One of the areas highlighted in the checklist focuses on responsive caregiving as an avenue for parents and other caregivers to reflect on and change -- where needed -- the way they interact with their young charges (Rosas, et al., 2012). Moreover, considerable research has been conducted on the implementation of parenting and mental health models within the early childhood education setting (Rosas, et al., 2012). The proposed research would employ the DECA and a questionnaire constructed specifically for this study to identify children who may be at risk for stress related to parental arguments and household conflict.
Initial Topical Literature Review
Current research on the impact of arguments between parents that occur near sleeping babies indicates that the brain activity of infants is responsive to the tone and loudness of the parents' interaction even when they are asleep. The brain scan research showed that infants respond differently to nonsense phrases read in neutral and angry voices. Indeed,
"Babies whose parents fought often at home had a stronger neurological response to angry tones -- as shown by the intensity of the colors in a computer-generated brain map -- compared to babies form less conflict-ridden households. The strong brain activity was centered in...
The implications are that babies exposed to frequent parental arguments in their early years are vulnerable to psychological damage as they can experience burnout when exposed to the stress of frequent parental fighting: a condition that leave them less able to deal with handling frustration later in life. Moreover, the research indicates that other forms of stressful interactions -- notably childhood bullying -- that predict low-grade systemic inflammation -- indicated by blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) that is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease -- that is still present in adulthood (Copeland, 2014).
Research Problem and Design
Psychological stress in early childhood carries the potential for negative impact that is evidenced in throughout the lifespan of the individual. Rosas, et al. (2012) argue that the income eligibility requirements of state and federally-funded early childhood education programs results in high enrollment of children from families at or below the poverty level. A primary consideration is that "Children and families living in poverty face several risk…
References
Copeland, W.E., Wolke, D., Lereya, S.T., Shanahan, L, Worthman, C., & Costello, J. (2014, May 27). Childhood bullying involvement predicts low-grade systemic inflammation into adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(21), 7570-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1323641111 Retrieved http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24821813
DaBerko, T. (2013). Hush! Sleeping infants still know when mom and dad are fighting. Phenomenon. Smithsonian Magazine, October, 20.
Graham, A. (2013, March 25). Arguments in the home linked with babies' brain functioning. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon, Retrieved http://uonews.uoregon.edu/archive/news-release/2013/3/arguments-home-linked-babies-brain-functioning
Graham, A., Fischer, P., & Pfeifer, J. (2013). What sleeping babies hear: An fMRI study of interparental conflict and infants' emotion processing. Psychological Science, in print.
Rosas, S., Chaiken, L., & Case, J. (2012, December). Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Ratings from parents and teachers in Delaware. Research Brief. Newark, DE: Nemours: Health & Prevention Services. Retrieved http://www.centerforresilientchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/deca.pdf.pdf
Child Aggression Aggressive behavior in children is not only disruptive of home, classroom, and social environments, it is the primary cause of peer rejection in children (Hinshaw pp). Early aggression predicts substance abuse, delinquency, and adult antisocial behavior with high sensitivity (Hinshaw pp). There are many ecological factors, social stressors, and family processes that are predictors of individual differences in aggression, and among family influences that have been linked with child aggression
These may include the parental workplace, school boards, social service agencies, and planning commissions." (Strengthening the Family: Implications for International Development, nd) Four: The Macro-system Macro-systems are 'blueprints' for interlocking social forces at the macro-level and their interrelationships in shaping human development. They provide the broad ideological and organizational patterns within which the meso- and exo-systems reflect the ecology of human development. Macro-systems are not static, but might change through evolution
Children: Exposure to Violence Through the Media The extent to which exposure to violence creates violent children and/or aggressive behavior is a subject which has been debated in a comprehensive manner. However, the fundamental research findings are consistent. The research continues to demonstrate that exposure to violence creates negative manifestations in the behavior of children. "While violence is not new to the human race, it is an increasing problem in modern
227), creating a house-full of stress and tension. Another study delves into how much children "matter" to their stepparents -- because "to matter is to be noticed, to be an object of concern, and to be needed by a specific individual" (Schenck, et al., 2009, p. 71). The authors posit that when children "feel secure and accepted in their parental relationships, they feel less threatened by stressful events" (p. 71).
The most fundamental theorist in this area is Jean Piaget. Additionally, Piaget demonstrated one of the first scientific movements in the filed, with the utilization of direct observation as the best tool for understanding. (Piaget, 1962, p. 107) Piaget also believes, and his theories reflect that children play a very active and dynamic role in development through interaction with their environment and active role imitation. (Piaget, 1962, p. 159) Sensory-motor
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, established a legal and ethical instrument for promoting and protecting the rights of children. The International Community responded enthusiastically to the Convention, and that type of broad participating "symbolizes something very special about the Convention, something that gives it unique importance and authority." Carol Bellamy with UNICEF believes that this support for the Convention suggests that human rights, particularly child rights, have gained