Financial woes upset parent-child bond
December 8th, 2011 - 5:30 pm ICT by IANSWashington, Dec 8 (IANS) Individuals upset by financial problems may feel a disconnect with their children, affecting the kids in negative ways.
“The study serves as a reminder that children’s behaviours are affected by issues beyond their immediate surroundings,” said Gustavo Carlo, professor of human development and family studies at the Missouri University, who led the study.
“Families’ economic situations are affected by broader factors in our society, and those financial problems can lead to depression that hurts parent-child relationships,” added Carlo, the Journal of Research on Adolescence reports.
Unlike previous research focusing on high-risk and low-income families, Carlo and his colleagues studied middle- to upper-middle-class families, according to a Missouri statement.
Parents and children answered questions about economic stress, depression and connectedness between parents and children. A year later, the children reported how often they helped strangers, family members and friends.
“Even middle-class families are having financial difficulties, and it’s affecting their ability to be effective parents,” Carlo said. “When parents are depressed, it affects their relationships with their kids.”
Carlo suggests that depressed parents ought to seek treatment from a mental health professional. Parents also can seek help from their spouses, families, friends and other community agencies.
- Inconsistent parental discipline creates anti-social kids - Feb 27, 2012
- Using internet most risky for middle-class kids - Mar 24, 2012
- Stepchildren relate to stepparents based on perceived benefits - Mar 30, 2011
- 'Marital discord creates emotional problems in children' - Jun 14, 2012
- Parents of young kids 'eat more fatty foods, lead unhealthier lives' - Apr 12, 2011
- Economic downturn making British women opt for abortions - Aug 14, 2012
- Positive parenting helps prevent obesity in kids - Feb 07, 2012
- Kids do better at school if their mums stay home for first year - Nov 02, 2010
- Right friends matter most in middle school - Jan 13, 2011
- Education programs can increase parent-child interactions - Jan 04, 2011
- Care for elders strains adult parent-child relationship - Jul 27, 2010
- Father's involvement must for healthy upbringing of kids - Aug 03, 2009
- Working women recover from domestic violence - Jul 08, 2011
- Daughter caregivers more prone to depression than sons - Jun 07, 2010
- Watching DVDs during long car journeys mean poor language skills in kids - Aug 02, 2010
Tags: behaviours, connectedness, depressed parents, economic situations, economic stress, financial difficulties, financial woes, gustavo, high risk, journal of research on adolescence, low income families, mental health, middle class families, missouri university, parent child relationships, parents and children, previous research, professional parents, study families, upper middle class