Parental Depression And Its Effects On Children And Adolescents

“Socioeconomic status is a complex construct that is based on household income, material resources, education, and occupation, as well as related neighborhood and family characteristics, such as exposure to violence and toxins, parental care and provision of a cognitively stimulating environment.” (Hackman et Al, 2010) Research has shown that low socioeconomic status has a huge impact on mental health in children and adolescents, primarily due to the associated stress and effects related to poverty. There are three primary factors or levels through which poverty affects children/adolescents: individual, relational, and institutional.

Family is also another common strength that can also be a separate individual’s weakness. There is convincing evidence that suggests adolescent depression is largely linked with family environment. This is due to factors such as abuse, neglect, abandonment, mental illness within the household, family conflict, stress and breakdown. As the initial stages of an adolescent’s development is continuously spent with the family, family are therefore the largest factor in defining the individual’s mental health. Although family may be the greatest risk factor, family may also be the most influential strength and protecting factor of adolescent mental health. Families with close relationships provide; increased trustworthiness and openness, feelings of worth and belonging, support, and acceptance. These contrasting statements reaffirm that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and therefore needs different and individualised care from the nurse (Power, Allan & Robinson,

One psychosocial factor is the family’s socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic statuses has been researched to be on of the most influential factors in rather or not a family will succeed or face challenges, it can be a determinant in the development of mental health, physical health, and emotional health. A parent’s educational level, their occupation, and income could place the family in either a beneficial or hindering situation, in return, affecting the way a parent could establish attachment with their child. For example, a single parent raising their child and having to manage two jobs, could result in limited attachment to their parent or primary caregiver. Parental stress and their adverse childhood experiences is another psychosocial factor which can determine a child’s

Parents experiencing poverty may struggle to provide for their children and can become very stressed from dealing with the monotonous monetary requirements. Within poverty stricken households extreme variations of parenting and guidance can be observed, from little to no presence or direction, all the way to the other side of the spectrum with severe overreactions. “Higher levels of stress negatively affect parenting style, and these parents tend to be more authoritarian or inconsistent.” (Katz, 18) Family structures, living environments, mental health, personalities, and educational backgrounds are all likely to be contributing factor to both parenting

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Challenges due to poverty could be addressed by providing financial assistance, food, and clothing. Time spent with parents is essential when dealing with children who have behavioral issues because parents or guardians may not have the funds or time to spend with their children due to other obligations needed to support the family. Parents and guardians play a major role in helping children grow and develop to their fullest potential. As children grow, they depend on their parents or guardians for basic needs and support such as food, shelter, education, protection, and care. During their life difficulties and times of crisis, they depend on family for guidance. Mental disorders in childhood and adolescence can

When parents are stressed, depressed, this can affect the child’s well-being (Cohen & Semple, 2009). There was a program called Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D), that can help to treat mothers with depression (Cohen & Semple, 2009). Mindful interventions can

Psychosocial issues such as anxiety and depression can contribute to medical problems, substance abuse, and a life of crime. If psychosocial issues are not treated, they may affect the child health and wellness. It is very important for the child to learn ways to cope with these issues to be able to live a healthy and fulfilled life. Anxiety and depression can cause a child to withdraw from society and have problems trusting people. Children and adolescents with psychosocial problems often lead a destructive lifestyle. These children and adolescents are at risk for becoming alcoholics and committing crimes as teenagers and/or adults (James,

One psychosocial factor is the family’s socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic statuses have been researched to be one of the most influential factors in rather or not a family will succeed or face challenges, it can be a determinant in the development of mental health, physical health, and emotional health. A parent’s educational level, their occupation, and income could place the family in either a beneficial or hindering situation, in return, affecting the way a parent could establish attachment with their child. For example, a single parent raising their child and having to manage two jobs, could result in limited attachment to their parent or primary caregiver. Parental stress and their possible experiences of adverse childhood

Conger, R. D., Ge, X., Elder, G. H., Lorenz, F. O., & Simons, R. L. (1994). Economic stress, coercive family process, and developmental problems of adolescents. Child Development, 65, 541–561.

If anxiety levels rise in these problems, psychiatric, medical, or social dysfunction may develop (Kerr, 2000). In impairment of one or more children problems, according to Kerr (2000), the spouses focus their anxieties on one or more of their children and the children focus their anxiety on them which can ultimately impair school performance, social relationships, and even health (Kerr, 2000). In emotional distance problems, according to Kerr (2000), people distances themselves from others to reduce the intensity of the relationship, but risk isolation from each other. The fourth concept of this theory is the family projection process. This concept describes the primary way parents transmit their emotional problems to a child (Kerr, 2000). This process can impair the functioning of one or more children and can increase their clinical symptoms. Some problems that children inherit from their parents include the need for attention and approval; difficulty dealing with expectations; the tendency to blame oneself or others; feeling responsible for the happiness of others or that others are responsible for one’s own happiness; and acting impulsively to relieve the anxiety of the moment rather than tolerating anxiety and acting thoughtfully (Kerr, 2000). Parents have different roles in this process: mothers are the primary caretakers and experience more emotional involvement with one or

Depression is a major predictor of a myriad of negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement, low self-esteem, decreased pro-social relationships, and higher risks of substance abuse (Healy, 2016). Additionally, these negative outcomes experienced by depressed teens may be even more apparent if the depression remains untreated. Findings mentioned earlier by Jones (2013) have also confirmed that this sensitive period in an individual’s life is particularly vulnerable to depressive symptoms that could lead to dire outcomes. These negative outcomes found by Jones (2013) concur with many of the same outcomes Healy mentioned. Moreover, research by Jaycox, Stein, and Paddock (2009) further delves into the impact of teen depression on these negative outcomes. Their study broadens knowledge on negative outcomes in teen depression by examining them over a long period of time. The data is compared to teens that are not depressed, but experience the same negative consequences. Results from the research concluded that the negative outcomes such as school achievement and poor relationships were significantly more severe in depressed teens. After stating the major consequences depressed adolescents experienced, their study further found that treating adolescents may not only have clinical symptom benefits, but also greatly

It is becoming more recognized and well- known around the world that the mental well-being of one’s parents largely affects the development and or the emotional and mental states of oneself. Research is becoming much more widespread and researchers could make important recommendations on how to intervene in the lives of children with parents suffering from mental illness to best prevent harm to their health and well-being as they grow. It has been found that the most common mental illnesses among people of child-bearing age are anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Most policy however deals with the care of children whose parents must be hospitalized due to their conditions. Much of the current research though aims to show that even those which do not require extreme medical intervention can impact children physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, etcetera.

Currently, there is a broad consensus that a negative correlation exists between socioeconomic status and mental illness in adolescents. By establishing the specific socioeconomic factors that induce mental illnesses in youth, disorders can be predicted early on. Many experts believe that wealthy children are likelier to develop mental health problems as they feel pressure to succeed or are isolated by their parents (Luthar 2003). However, it has been proven that poorer adolescents are more likely to develop mental illnesses than wealthier adolescents are. A negatively perceived social status, low parental education and income, and lack of social mobility have been proven as important socioeconomic causes of mental illnesses in adolescents.

The finger is often pointed at the parents as an excuse for a child’s bad behavior, however this may be with good reason since parents have a huge affect on their child’s psychological development, leading to the way they act, good or bad. Raising a child to behave is not an easy task and this becomes considerably more difficult for parents suffering from some form of postpartum depression, parents who suffer from this are almost definitely going to negatively impact their child’s psychological growth in some way. According to the National Research Council, “Depression in parents has been consistently associated with a number of behavior problems and