Stressors are indeed a
contributor to the development of a human being. Early exposure to stressors can create either
problems for the child or help the child development. As healthy stress is needed for proper development
of the brain. Engaging the fight or
flight response of their brain, creating proper use of this natural
response. With that being said, we are
hard-wired to cope with certain stressors and adversities. We are not designed to cope with an overload
of stress, which can and will lead to health concerns, as well as
development. I have decided to refer to
the reality of a crisis, which has a broad mean. The crisis I will refer to will be the loss
of a mother or father as a child is younger in age, still dependent on their parent. The loss of a parent for a child can be devastating,
creating many unanswered questions. I
was only 4 months away from being 7 years old when my mother died from battling
cancer. She put up a very long fight for
years. She was indeed a tough role model
for anyone to follow. She never lost her
faith and always remained positive for her 3 little girls. Each of us, my 2 sisters and self, responded
differently to this stressor or crisis to say.
Based on the child’s age, environment, family unit, and more will
determine how the child copes. As for me
I can remember seeing my mother weak and trying to take care of her 3
girls. I remember the day we view her
body in the casket and waiting her to just wake up. I recall the many times as a girl, young
lady, and as an adult now the times I could have truly used her support or advice. This tragic event left an embedded imprint ono
the development of my brain. Thereforth
creating a degree of mental health problems.
With proper coping and support, a child can overcome many diversities
and stressors, but when one of these areas are weak or broken it makes a life-long
impact on their life. Of course in every
situation of development we must remember the reality each child is an
individual, unique in their own way. “Personality
traits, such as neuroticism, introversion, and prior mental disorders, also
increase the risk for developing PTSD (Van der Kolk, McFarlane, & Weisaeth,
2007, p.86). A child’s attachment
throughout life is established with their mother, father, siblings, and
immediate family members. Change or lose
of one of these can be detrimental to some children. We must have a support for those in this
situation, no matter the child’s socioeconomic status or culture.
When relating to my situation verses those children in Africa,
I truly benefited a bit more than they did.
The reality that the epidemic of children being orphans is growing
tremendously in Africa. It is hard
regardless to lose a parent, but these children have little to no support from
other family unit. Struggling to support
siblings the oldest child will bear in poverty.
“Neither words or statics can adequately capture the human tragedy of
children grieving for dying or dead parents, stigmatized by society through
association with HIV/AIDS, plunged into economic crisis and insecurity by their
parents’ death and struggling without services or support systems in impoverished
communities” (UNICEF, 1999, p.3). As
medicine is improving and knowledge is being gained, the reality is still it
cost to produce, dispense, and deliver the medication to these sick
parents. The cost continues to grow with
their disease. The reality is that these
children need support to keep this epidemic from creating a crisis.
References:
UNICEF, (1999, December).
Children orphaned by AIDS: Front-line responses from eastern and southern Africa. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/pub_aids_en.pdf.
Van Der Kolk, B.,
McFarlane, A., & Weisaeth, L. (2007). Traumatic Stress: The effects of overwhelming experience on mind,
body, and society.