Anxiety is an issue that is being brought to light more and more frequently in Mainstream Media
Which can really help those that suffer from this issue people often see anxiety as just something that everyone experiences
But it's important to recognize that there's a difference between the occasional bout of nerves and the debilitating
symptoms of those that suffer from anxiety as an actual mental illness
Graham Cl Davie is an experimental psychopathology
He researches mental health in labs and in particular tries to get a better understanding of the causes of anxiety based problems
through controlled experimentation
Devi has spoken a lot about the phenomenon of helicopter parents as Devi explains
It's only natural for parents to want to do the best for their kids particularly in terms of health and education
but helicopter parents probably overdo this
Devi Elaborates further saying in life
Everyone will be faced by threats and challenges at some point and will need to know how to deal with these when they arise
Kids whose parents shield them from every kind of challenge even challenges they face in education
Run the risk of growing up anxious largely because their parents protective behavior has prevented them from
practicing suitable coping responses
And has conveyed to them that maybe there is something frightening about those things their parents have been shielding them from
Along with helicopter parents you have snowplow parents
Snowplow parents are probably the worst observed Devi
by removing everything in life that might be a potential obstacle to their child they never allow their children to learn how to cope with
Their own obstacles in Life I
Suspect many helicopter parents are themselves anxious people who are genuinely attempting to do the best for their kids?
Says Devi when discussing what makes helicopter parents so protective?
But as a result they're not allowing their offspring to find out about the world and how to cope with it
Devi points out that kids don't come with manuals
Every parent has a different way of raising kids
But it's been proven time and again that overprotection is a downside and doesn't allow children to develop coping mechanisms later in life
Devi is quick to point out what a major influence a parent can have on the mental health of their children
Parents can be quite subjective about what issues they consider important in their children's lives explains Davey
But arguably more important than this is the way these issues are dealt with
Negative parenting for example is particularly problematic and a common source of mental health problems in offspring
Negative parenting includes disciplining strategies such as threatening a child you stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about
Or attending to the child only when they're doing something wrong
Studies have shown that about 30% of our anxiety can be traced to our own genetics
But the other 70% is influenced by experience and upbringing
Even 10 month old babies can pick up on negative behaviors from a parent and avoid things that their parents have behaved negatively towards
Davey explains this probably stays with kids through their childhood and is likely to override any contrary explanations given by the parent
Vicarious learning is a significant way in which children pick up anxieties throughout childhood
many non-Human animals also learn their fears by watching other conspecifics behaving Fearfully, so it's quite a common mechanism in Nature A
Parent will need a very convincing argument to dissuade an offspring not to be fearful of something they've seen someone else behaving Fearfully of to
Graham clearly shows how parents have a massive impact on what experiences children will take from the world around them if
You convince a child that something should be feared even if you don't intend to
Then they will be more likely to fear it as well
It is good to allow a child to experience things in their own way instead of removing all risks that they may face
Although it is understandable to want to protect your child
Parenting is a difficult thing, but as long as you're there for your child and ready to help when needed you'll be just fine
Be sure to check out Davey's article on his pSychology today blog
helicopter snowplow and bubble wrap parenting to learn more about this topic and be on the lookout for his new book the
anxiety Epidemic due to be published by Little Brown books in 2018
What are your thoughts about anxiety and parenting be sure to comment below and as always?
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