How Chronic Stress Short-Circuits Parenting
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - 20:30
in Psychology & Sociology
Parents under long-term stress often find it challenging to tap into the patience, responsiveness, and energy required for effective child rearing. Now research from a University of Rochester team helps to explain why chronic stress and parenting are such a toxic mix. The study finds that ongoing strains, like poverty or depression, disrupt the body's natural stress response, making mothers more likely to engage in a host of problematic parenting behaviors.