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Does bad parenting cause brain damage?
By Christina Quick | February 18, 2008
Here’s one more bit of evidence regarding the important role parents play in their children’s lives.
Kids who don’t enjoy good early relationships with their parents may have altered brain development, a neurology researcher says.
A study of children between the ages of 4 and 8 found obvious physical changes over time in brain scans of kids who received little positive attention from their parents. The changes appeared in regions of the brain associated with memory and attention. Language skills were also impaired among kids who had not bonded well with their parents.
Martha Farah, director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, presented the findings last week at an annual science meeting in Boston. She said stress hormones could be to blame. When children receive no comfort from their parents, these hormones may attack fragile, developing brain cells and cause long-term problems.
In another study published last week, University of Oregon researchers found the IQs of preschoolers from low-income families improved an average of six points after their parents took an eight-week child development course.
Never mind Baby Einstein toys. What we need more of, it seems, are good parents.
Topics: In the news |
February 19th, 2008 at 2:02 am
hi,
nice article:)
yes lack of attention can lead to stress…and excessive stress can be a reason of brain damage..
thanks for sharing:)
May 7th, 2008 at 1:50 am
This is another great information I learned today. As a good parent I always give quality time to my children and I guess more quality time after learning this information.
Thanks for sharing.
-Jan