News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

Children who are under constant stress from family fighting, violence, noise and other pressures put more strain on their bodies than children who live without such multiple stressors. However, a supportive mother can make a difference in how much strain they experience.

The research may explain why low-income children often do not function as well in school.

Researchers from Cornell University's College of Human Ecology studied blood pressure measurements and urine samples from 207 children from upstate New York over a period of several years. They found that exposure to chronic and multiple stress factors affected the children's neuroendocrine hormonal systems, cardiovascular responses and metabolism. However, if they received support from their mothers in coping with such stressors, the effect was less.

This study appears in the March 2007 issue of Developmental Psychology.

Labels: health, stress, development

Posted By: Aspen Education Group