Stressors: loss of a parent

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.