Ill Parents and Stress In Children

1600 Words4 Pages

“Why does my mommy always have to get sick?” (Sherkin 8). To children, a seriously ill parent can seem like the end of the world, and in some ways it is; it’s the end of the happy and carefree childhood that they had known before. The children are exposed to long hours in the hospital and to the emotions of both parents and family members. In short, the stress is usually more than children can handle without guidance. It causes strain on children’s lives and affects their mind, body, behavior and interactions with others. The effects are not just now, but in the future as well.

What is stress? It is a “response to any situation or factor that creates a negative emotional or physical change or both” (Stress IN Child). Stress is experienced in many forms and varies by the individual, depending on things such as the child’s developmental level and the child’s previous life experience (Stress and Young Children). In small quantities, stress is good; it can motivate someone and help them to be more productive. However, excessive stress can interfere with life, activities, and health. Stress can affect the way that people think, act, and feel but even more so in children.

“… Stress is not just physical or physiological; it’s emotional and cognitive, behavioral, and a lot of the time it’s how you perceive what [stress is] . . . it’s going to be individual” (Burleson). Just how individual can stress on a child be? Stress can actually fall into one of three categories: positive, tolerable and toxic stress.

According to Burleson, positive stress is short lived, adverse reactions that children can overcome with support from caring parents. This type of stress is considered normal, and coping with it is an important part of the develo...

... middle of paper ...

...9. .

McCue, Kathleen. How to help children through a parent's serious illness. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1996. Print.

Middlebrooks, Jennifer S., and Natalie C. Audage. The Effects of Childhood Stress On Health Across The Lifespan. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2008. Print.

Sherkin-Langer, Ferne. When mommy is sick. Morton Grove, Ill: A. Whitman, 1995. Print.

"Stress and Young Children." At Health Mental Health. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. .

"Stress IN Child." RightHealth: Quality Health Information Organized for You. Ed. Neil K. Kaneshiro. 8 May 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

Open Document