Support child’s peace of mind: 3 effects of stress on a child’s well-being Exploring how to overcome the child's stress symptoms by addressing its effects

Rawan Essam 

Currently, children suffer from toxic stress, which results from intense adverse experiences that may be sustained over a long period of time—weeks, months, or even years. Toxic stress can stimulates stimulated by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which refer to violence related stressors including child abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction 

It is proven that childhood stress can impact adult health. Therefore, its grave impacts on cognitive development, health problems,and emotional well-being will last forever with the child if the parents do not know the serious effects of toxic stress on their children. 

Impaired cognitive development 

In early childhood, around 1–5 years old, these years are important for their brain development. So children who experience ACE and toxic stress during early childhood may encounter impairments in their cognitive development. The impact of toxic stress on children’s brains  is catastrophic.  It could present as changes in crucial parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala (1)(2)(3). 

Toxic stress can cause defects in the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning, memory, and types of stress response regulation, which can lead to impaired memory and mood control. As well as any defect in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making, judgment, and impulse control, this will lead to poor memory, difficulty focusing, and critical thinking. Moreover, any changes in the amygdala may lead to increased anxiety or a tendency to fear.

Heath problems 

Children who experience ACE and toxic stress are more likely to have health problems. Childhood stress can lead to health problems later in life, such as alcholism, depression, eating disorders, heart disease, liver disease, illicit drug use, fetal death, smoking, and suicide attempts (4). 

The more ACEs occur, the greater the risk to their health. As for children who experienced four or more ACEs, their risk for heart disease was double; for depression, the risk was 4.3 times; and for chronic lung disease, the risk was more than double. 

Emotional well-being 

Stress can lead to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and irritability in children. They might experience mood swings and have difficulty managing their emotions. Children who experience toxic stress may have powerful responses in reaction to even minor stressors and may struggle to feel safe in their relationships with others (5). 

Stress in children can lead to poor emotional regulation, impulsivity, aggression, and antisocial conduct disorders. These effects can disrupt their ability to interact positively with peers and adults, impacting their social relationships and academic performance. 

In summary, addressing toxic stress impact on children is important to make newbie parents aware of this catastrophic problem and teach them to seek advice from experts as a trial to reach a solution for their children and fix the toxic stress damages before they cause long-lasting damage. When parents identify toxic stress symptoms in their child, they have to adopt some strategies, such as creating a peaceful environment for children, spending more quality time together, or showing love and affection to strengthen the bond between the child and the parents.