Stress and children

University study will focus on nurture as a way to lower stress among children

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8:47 a.m., Nov. 1, 2011--Families living in poverty often face extremely high levels of stress in their everyday lives, which may affect parent-child interactions. As a result, their children may experience high levels of stress as well.

Due to the economic downturn, poverty levels in the U.S. have been increasing, with 22 percent of the nation’s children currently living in poverty. Children of color are disproportionately represented, with approximately 40 percent of African American children and 35 percent of Hispanic children living below the federal poverty guidelines.

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To help counteract the negative effects of poverty on infants, toddlers, and their families, the University of Delaware New Directions Early Head Start (NDEHS) offers a multi-generational program that provides an array of supports to low-income families in New Castle and Kent counties. Families enrolled in NDEHS receive early education services for children, as well as parenting education and family supports.

NDEHS is operated through the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS).

A new $2 million federal research study was recently awarded to HDFS faculty Jason Hustedt, Myae Han, Jennifer Vu and Rena Hallam by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families in the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. This five-year project seeks to bolster the existing services provided by NDEHS through implementing and studying a research-based parent-child interaction intervention. 

Developed by Mary Dozier, the Amy E. du Pont Chair of Child Development in the Department of Psychology, this intervention is known as Attachment and Bio-Behavioral Catch-up (ABC).

The study will examine the effectiveness of ABC when integrated as a standard component of Early Head Start. Dozier’s prior research on ABC suggests that caregivers who complete the intervention learn to foster closer relationships with their children, providing more predictable home environments and reducing children’s stress.

For this study, stress levels will be quantified by examining patterns in a child’s cortisol production – cortisol is a hormone released as part of the body’s stress-response system. “By looking at interaction patterns, we hope to determine whether the parent training component is helping to reduce stress levels for Early Head Start children,” said Hustedt, lead researcher for the grant.

Staff at NDEHS will help carry out the ABC intervention with families.  “We are excited about this new collaborative opportunity,” said Heidi Beck, director of NDEHS. “The training and consultation available to our staff through the research grant will give us additional knowledge to provide quality services and support young children and their families.”

The study will include about 400 parent-child pairs in New Castle and Kent County, in a range of urban, suburban, and rural settings that have been identified as having high or "toxic" levels of stress. The ABC training program for NDEHS parents is expected to begin in spring 2012 and to continue through 2016.

Article by Alison Burris

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