THE ESSENTIAL
- Researchers have observed the evolution of the mental health of 7,500 children between their three years and their nine years.
- They find that the way their parents raise them can affect their mental health.
- Harsh upbringing increases the risk of mental health disorders in children.
An education “hostile” harms the mental health of children. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and University College Dublin demonstrate this in a study published in the journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. They find that being a harsh parent with a toddler puts them at higher risk for mental health problems when they are older.
Mental health of children: what is harsh education?
Their work involves over 7,500 Irish children. They answered questionnaires so that the researchers could assess their mental health. At the same time, the parents provided information on their mode of education. Scientists have established three main parenting styles: warm (supportive and attentive to the needs of the child), consistent (setting clear expectations and rules) and hostile parenting. This last category is particularly characterized by severe reprimands and strong discipline. “This may, for example, involve regularly yelling at children, carrying out ‘routine’ corporal punishment, isolating children when they misbehave, damaging their self-esteem or punishing children in unpredictable ways depending on the mood of the parents”, develop the authors. They mapped the children’s mental health symptoms at three, five and nine years old. This could manifest itself in two ways: internalizing mental health, such as anxiety or social withdrawal, or externalizing it, with impulsive and aggressive behaviors or hyperactivity.
Higher risks of mental health disorders for children
Next, the researchers analyzed which children were at high risk for mental health disorders and which were at mild or low risk. Overall, most of the kids were in the latter category, and it didn’t change between their three and nine years. But these scores changed according to the type of parenthood. “Hostile parents increased a child’s odds of being in the high-risk category by 1.5 times and the mild-risk category by 1.6 times, at age nine“, observe the researchers.”Importantly, the study clearly indicates that parenting style does not completely determine mental health outcomes, however, they point out. Children’s mental health is shaped by multiple risk factors, including gender, physical health, and socioeconomic status.”
Mental health and parenting: what lessons should be drawn from this study?
But the researchers believe their findings should draw the attention of mental health professionals, teachers and other practitioners to “the potential influence of parenthood in a child who shows signs of poor mental health”. This also involves providing special support to parents whose child is already at risk to prevent the onset of mental health problems. “The fact that one in 10 children fall into the high risk category for mental health issues is concerning and we need to be aware of the role parents can play in this.believes Ioannis Katsantonis, co-author of the study. At no point do we believe that parents should set firm limits on the behavior of their children, but harsh and frequent discipline is hard to justify given the implications for mental health.“For them, this also means that it is important to better support young parents in the education of their child.
