Children More Prone to Stress Thrive Depending Upon Home Environment

There are so many negative things about stress, it is a wonder it doesn’t have a more prominent focus in medical research. A new study by scientists at the University of British Columbia, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley and featured in Science Daily, examines the role of stress in children.

Those children who tend to be significantly reactive to stress tend to be more vulnerable to adversity and experience more behavior and health problems than their peers. This new longitudinal study suggests that highly reactive children are also more likely to do well when they are raised in supportive environments.

“Parents and teachers may find that sensitive children, like orchids, are more challenging to raise and care for, but they can bloom into individuals of exceptional ability and strength when reared in a supportive, nurturing, and encouraging environment,” said Jelena Obradović, an assistant professor in the School of Education at Stanford University, a University of British Columbia professional when she led the study.

In this study, researchers found that children with significantly stronger biological reactions to a series of mildly stressful tasks designed to look like challenges in their daily lives were more affected by their family contexts, whether they were good or bad.

In contrast with what the researchers were expecting, these children were also more likely to thrive when they were raised in caring, low-stress families due to their sensitiveness to the supportive and nurturing qualities of such environments.

“The study tells us that when children are highly susceptible to stress, it’s not always bad news, but rather should be considered in terms of the type of environment they live in,” explained Obradović.

Learn more about Children More Prone to Stress Thrive Depending Upon Home Environment

Study Examines Health Impact of Chronic Worry

Worrying has plagued the human race since the dawn of time. Folk lore and urban legends warn of the misery worrying can bring, yet it is part of human nature to worry – even when it produces negative results.

Science Daily recently reported on research from Purdue University suggesting chronic worrying can lead to early mortality, due in part to the fact chronic worriers are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors.

“Research shows that higher levels of neuroticism can lead to earlier mortality, and we wanted to know why,” said Daniel K. Mroczek, a professor of child development and family studies, in the Science Daily. “We found that having worrying tendencies or being the kind of person who stresses easily is likely to lead to bad behaviors like smoking and, therefore, raise the mortality rate.

Learn more about Study Examines Health Impact of Chronic Worry

Strained Work Partner Relationships Breed Stress

Work life can be stressful for a number of people and some industries have proven to cause more stress than others. Now, a new study presented in a Science Daily piece finds that a good partner relationship can act as a buffer for those exposed to work-related stress.

“The relationship reduces the negative effects of this kind of stress on our health. But poor relationships will amplify the negative effects,” said Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén in a new doctoral dissertation from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in the Science Daily. “A positive approach and successful stress-management techniques also help to reduce the negative effects of work-related stress.”

That partnership can have the opposite effect if the relationship creates stress. This stress can be intertwined within the job and create a much greater risk for burn-out and poor health.

Learn more about Strained Work Partner Relationships Breed Stress

Connect with an Elements Recovery Adviser