Summary: A family’s ability to regulate her reaction to trauma is drastically decrease PTSD signs in her children, especially in high-stress regions. The study observed 131 parents and younger children in southern Israel, where security risks are common, linking parental self-regulation to decreased PTSD in kids.
When mother struggled with PTSD, their kids displayed more PTSD symptoms, but mothers ‘ ability to effectively resolve stressful events helped to buffer the effects on children’s mental health. Mothers can foster resilience in demanding environments by assisting children with their stress management and adaptation, which highlights the value of filial support for young children’s mental health.
Important Information:
- Mothers ‘ Anxiety symptoms are related to their children’s PTSD levels.
- Parental self-control can help to lessen the effects of parental Anxiety on children.
- Successful counseling helps kids perceive stress and strengthens their resilience.
Origin: Ben-Gurion University
Post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is a mental illness that manifests itself as a result of one or more traumatic experiences. It is characterized by signs such as evasion, changes in thinking and feeling, and alterations in intimacy and sensitivity.
A study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev conducted an investigation to determine whether these symptoms are present in families in the southwestern region of Israel and whether the family’s soothing position is involved.
The study findings were , published , in the journal , Stress and Health.
Children under the age of six may experience PTSD as a result of both physical activity and dramatization of tragic events, as well as through nightmares that will make them feel anxious.
Earlier studies have determined that the mother’s regulatory role has an impact on traumatic experience. That purpose is to aid in the organization of her children’s ideas and actions.
For instance, preparing meal, completing a task for college or work, allows kids to see things from different perspectives, discover new information in their culture, and act appropriately.
This capacity increases even more in times of crisis, enabling mothers to monitor their children’s safety and direct them to the secure place in real-time, helping them to make better decisions in a changing and possibly dangerous world.
A research team led by Prof. Naama Atzaba-Poria, mind of the Duet Center at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, examined the relation between PTSD signs in parents and children and the family’s regulation work.
A powerful regulatory function is defined by the ability to halt responses and reorganize in response to a changing fact.
For example, if a youngster startles in despair because of a , quiet noise , from a passing plane, and the family notices and explains the reason to the baby, she has demonstrated awareness and consciousness of the child’s needs in a changing reality.
If, on the same morning, there were sirens in their area, and the changing reality becomes a , security threat, this ability becomes even more critical.
Families in southern Israel are subject to a variety of security threats, from those who live in communities close to Gaza (up to 20 km from the Gaza Strip ) to those who live in more remote settlements in the south of the nation (up to 40 km from the Gaza Strip ).
The study was conducted among a sample that included 131 mothers and their firstborn children, aged 10–45 months ( 52 % boys ), as they approached the arrival of their second child ( in the third trimester of pregnancy ). Most parents were married, and most families experienced varying degrees of exposure to threats and missile fire, primarily in cities such as Beer-Sheva, Sderot, and Ashkelon.
The mothers completed computer-based tests to assess their executive functions, including the ability to update the content of their working memory or obstruct a dominant response that is unrelated to the situation. Additionally, they completed online questionnaires that aimed to identify post-traumatic stress symptoms in both the mothers and the children.
The outcomes demonstrated that children displayed higher levels of PTSD symptoms when their mothers displayed higher levels of PTSD symptoms. However, the mother’s ability to effectively manage the threatening situation significantly reduced the relationship between mother and child PTSD symptoms, thereby preventing the potential impact of maternal mental health, particularly PTSD symptoms, on the child’s mental health in the area in question.
Additionally, mothers may need to manage their own and the child’s emotions, process information that is relevant to the child and the situation quickly ( for example, understanding the threat and evacuating to a safe room ), and understand the situation.
Therefore, the mother’s ability to effectively communicate relevant information may influence the mother’s ability to respond appropriately to the child in difficult situations and increase the child’s resilience.
During and after such an event, the preoccupation with worrying and worrying thoughts can become more acute. Therefore, having the ability to update and guide the child may help them manage the stressful event more effectively as well as help them avoid worrying about security threats being exposed in the past and future.
Additionally, the study suggested that mothers who have high levels of self-regulation may be able to distinguish between their children’s stress response and their own, giving their children a sense of belonging, which may lower the risk of post-traumatic stress in the future.
The mother’s capacity to effectively monitor pertinent information in her environment and defuse impulsive responses contributes to her ability to reflect more critically, recognize her children’s needs, and increase their sense of security, it seems. Consequently,  , children , may feel more protected and, therefore, be at a lower risk of developing PTSD symptoms”, explains Prof. Atzaba-Poria.
” In , clinical practice , and in daily life, these findings may be useful in identifying families that may require more support and assistance under complex security threats”.
The , data collection , took place from October 2018 to March 2020 ( before the Iron Swords War ). The results shed light on periods when heightened security threats increased the risk of , post-traumatic stress disorder , ( PTSD ), emphasizing the role of self-regulation in parents in preventing the development of PTSD symptoms.
Parents in communities close to the Gaza Strip are still able to attend The Duet Center’s programs because they are aware of the importance of parental reflective functioning and the need to improve parental responsiveness to deal with uncertainty and emergencies, which could help stop the development of PTSD symptoms.
The research team included Michal Levy, Dr. Tal Yatziv, Dr. Kinneret Levavi, Dr. Porat Yakov, Prof. Alison Pike, Prof. Kirby Deater-Deckard, Dr. Amnon Hadar, Dr. Guy Bar, Dr. Miron Froimovici, and Prof. Naama Atzaba-Poria.
About this news about PTSD and child trauma research
Author: Naama Atzaba-Poria
Source: Ben-Gurion University
Contact: Naama Atzaba-Poria – Ben-Gurion University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
The buffering function of maternal executive functions is cited by Naama Atzaba-Poria and colleagues in” The association between maternal and child posttraumatic stress symptoms among families living in southern Israel.” Stress and Health
Abstract
The relationship between maternal and child posttraumatic stress symptoms in southern Israeli families: a study into the buffering function of maternal executive functions
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a severe form of stress and anxiety that develops after atraumatic event is experienced.
Parental executive functions ( EFs ) may prevent this link, despite research showing that both parental and child posttraumatic stress symptoms ( PTSS) are related.
EFs refers to a group of high-level cognitive processes that enable the self-regulation of thoughts and actions in order to achieve goal-directed behavior. They are important for both positive parenting relationships and effective coping strategies for PTSS.
Our study sought to ( 1 ) identify the moderating role of maternal EFs in this interaction among families living in southern Israel and ( 2 ) to ( 1 ) examine the link between maternal and child PTSS and the moderating role of varying degrees of exposure to severe security threats context.
131 mothers in their second pregnancy and the firstborn children included in our sample. Mothers completed computer-based tasks to assess their EFs, and they also provided a report on their own and their child’s PTSS.
Findings revealed a positive relationship between child and maternal PTSS. However, maternal working memory capacity and threat context severity moderated the relationship between maternal and child PTSS.
Among mothers with lower updating capacities, the association between maternal and child symptoms was stronger under higher threat contexts, conversely, among mothers with higher maternal updating abilities, threat context did not modulate the link between maternal and child PTSS, suggesting a stress-buffering effect.
Our study strengthens the growing body of research on the significantness of parental EFs in relation to parent-child interactions.
