Parents’ harsh discipline linked to long-term mental health problems in kids

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Harsh discipline increases the risk of children developing long-term mental health problems, warns new research.

Spare the rod and spoil the child, according to the old proverb, meaning if youngsters are not physically punished when they do wrong, their personal development will suffer.

But a study involving more than 7,500 Irish children found those exposed to "hostile" parenting are 50 percent more likely to have "high risk" mental health symptoms.

The findings showed that moms and dads who frequently exercise harsh discipline with young children are putting them at "significantly greater" risk of developing lasting mental health problems, new evidence shows.

The research team from the University of Cambridge and University College Dublin (UCD) found that kids exposed to "hostile" parenting at age three were 1.5 times likelier than their peers to have mental health symptoms that qualified as "high risk" by age nine.

Hostile parenting involves frequent harsh treatment and discipline and can be physical or psychological.

Researchers say it may, for example, take the form of shouting at children regularly, routine physical punishment, isolating children when they misbehave, damaging their self-esteem, or punishing them unpredictably depending on the parent’s mood.

The team charted children’s mental health symptoms at ages three, five and nine.

They studied both internalizing mental health symptoms - such as anxiety and social withdrawal- and externalizing symptoms - such as impulsive and aggressive behavior and hyperactivity.

Around one in 10 of the children were found to be in a high-risk band for poor mental health, but those who experienced hostile parenting were much more likely to fall into that group.

The study, published in the journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, makes clear that parenting style does not completely determine mental health outcomes.

Children’s mental health is shaped by multiple factors, including gender, physical health, and socio-economic status.

However, the researchers say that mental health professionals, teachers and other practitioners should be alert to the potential influence of parenting on a child who shows signs of having poor mental health.

They add that extra support for the parents of children who are already considered to be at risk could help to prevent problems from developing.

Ioannis Katsantonis, a doctoral researcher at Cambridge University's Faculty of Education, conducted the study with Professor Jennifer Symonds, of UCD's School of Education.

Dr. Katsantonis said: “The fact that one in 10 children were in the high-risk category for mental health problems is a concern and we ought to be aware of the part parenting may play in that.

“We are not for a moment suggesting that parents should not set firm boundaries for their children’s behavior, but it is difficult to justify frequent harsh discipline, given the implications for mental health.”

Prof. Symonds said: “Our findings underline the importance of doing everything possible to ensure that parents are supported to give their children a warm and positive upbringing, especially if wider circumstances put those children at risk of poor mental health outcomes.

"Avoiding a hostile emotional climate at home won’t necessarily prevent poor mental health outcomes from occurring, but it will probably help.”

While parenting is widely acknowledged as a factor influencing children’s mental health, most previous research has not investigated how it affects their mental health over time, or how it relates to both internalizing and externalizing symptoms together.

The researchers used information from 7,507 participants in the "Growing up in Ireland" study of children and young people.

Each child was given a composite mental health score out of 10 for their externalizing and internalizing symptoms at ages three, five and nine.

A second assessment was used to measure the parenting style children experienced at age three.

Parents were profiled based on how far they inclined towards each of three styles: 'warm parenting' - supportive and attentive to their child’s needs; 'consistent' -setting clear expectations and rules; and 'hostile'.

The research team found that the children fell into three broad categories.

Most (83.5 percent) were low risk, with low internalizing and externalizing symptom scores at age three, which then fell or remained stable.

A few (6.43 percent) were mild risk, with high initial scores that decreased over time but remained higher than the first group. The remaining 10.07 percent were high-risk, with high initial scores that increased by age nine.

Hostile parenting raised a child’s chances of being in the high-risk category by 1.5 times, and the mild-risk category by 1.6 times, by age nine.

Consistent parenting was found to have a limited protective role, but only against children falling into the "mild-risk" category.

However, to the researchers’ surprise, warm parenting did not increase the likelihood of children being in the low-risk group, possibly due to the influence of other factors on mental health outcomes.

Previous research has highlighted the importance of these other factors, many of which the new study also confirmed.

For example, girls were more likely to be in the high-risk category than boys; children with single parents were 1.4 times more likely to be high-risk, and those from wealthier backgrounds were less likely to exhibit worrying mental health symptoms by middle childhood.

Dr. Katsantonis said that the findings underscored the importance of early intervention and support for children who are at risk of mental health issues - and that should involve tailored support, guidance and training for new parents.

He added: “Appropriate support could be something as simple as giving new parents clear, up-to-date information about how best to manage young children’s behavior in different situations.

“There is clearly a danger that parenting style can exacerbate mental health risks. This is something we can easily take steps to address.”