GLOBAL PUBLIC SCHOOL 2021
76
R
Toxic Stress in Children
Chinmayi Suma Manoj [ 10A ]
Children are the future of the world and yet , they face a lot of issues which can affect their lives and their potential to do activities . Toxic stress is a dangerous yet common issue which many students face . Well , what is toxic stress ? In order to answer that question , we need to understand what stress is and how to differentiate it from toxic stress .
Stress in medical terms is a feeling of physical or emotional tension that can come from an event or thought which makes a person angry , nervous or frustrated . An optimum amount of stress is needed for achieving tasks and deadlines properly or for escaping from danger . When stress is prolonged for a long time , it becomes toxic and starts affecting a person ’ s physical and mental health .
The term toxic stress refers to the stress response systems ’ effects on the body , not to the stressful event itself . Toxic stress can lead to long term mental and physical illnesses ( lifestyle diseases ). In students , toxic stress is caused by the negative experiences within their environment , mainly the home and school environment .
Toxic stress can occur when a child faces strong , frequent or prolonged adversities like physical or emotional abuse , chronic neglect , mental illness or substance abuse by the primary caregiver ( s ), exposure to violence , and / or the accumulated burdens of family like economic hardship — without adequate adult support . So , how exactly do the above mentioned problems affect children in the long run ? To answer this question let us take the example of neglect by the primary caregivers ( s ).
Cells are the smallest unit of living organisms which means that all of us are made of cells and each organ is composed of cells that perform a similar function . Similarly there are cells in the brain of every animal and those brain cells are called neurons . Neurons are connected to each other and the junction between two neurons is called a synapse . So , when a baby is neglected by the parent / caregiver , it biologically sees it as a sign of danger and as a result , the stress systems get activated .
The brain starts releasing large amounts of stress hormones and certain key synapses in critical regions of the brain fail to form . This doesn ’ t provide the stimulation needed to develop the basic architecture of the brain ’ s development . New connections for further development can be formed if the child is in an environment which supports its positive growth and development . But this can only be done up to a certain age and becomes difficult in adulthood .
The current education system is also contributing to toxic stress in students , specifically the system of how examinations are conducted which leads to rote learning . Mostly , examinations are designed in a way to test memory and not to check what they know . As a result , many students mug up their lessons in order to score well in exams and not being able to remember the lessons may cause toxic stress in some students .
Performance anxiety can lead to toxic stress . For example , a student who scores less marks than their friends starts feeling the need to score more than their friends , maybe due to parental pressure or because of peer pressure . Academics may not necessarily be that student ’ s strong point but they will ignore the things they are good at and only focus on studies and how well they score . They will get stressed out about exams and their marks . Later that stress will become toxic and start affecting their mental and physical health .
So , how to prevent toxic stress response in children ? Reducing the exposure of children to extremely stressful conditions like violence , abuse , neglect , etc helps prevent toxic stress response . Stable , nurturing relationships are the primary cure for toxic stress in children . A comforting adult can help young children to turn off this stress response , and older children can be taught healthy strategies for managing stress and their emotions . Routine anticipatory guidance encourages positive parenting , strengthens support for families , builds resilience and thus , it helps to handle stress and avoid toxic stress . Improving the caregivers ’ capacity to provide a safe environment for the child also helps in reducing toxic stress . This can be done by rehabilitation programs for adults under substance abuse , counselling , therapy sessions and so on .
Even schools can help students combat toxic stress response . Incorporating socio-emotional learning ( understanding one ’ s own emotions and that of others and managing those emotions ) will help in toxic stress management . Training teachers to be more approachable and empathetic will enable students to talk to them when they feel vulnerable . Scheduling tests , projects and exams with adequate gaps in between them will reduce the toxic stress caused by academics .
Source : 1 https :// www . waterford . org / education / toxic-stress-in-students /