Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

In the past, chaos in children’s lives reflected large-scale as well as economic upheavals in American society.  A child’s home was usually viewed as a safe haven for them in a world that was considered harsh and chaotic.  Today, however, much of the world may be a safer place for children (meaning the benefits from better health and government safety net).  These benefits, however, may be offset by increasing chaos brought about by marital instability and lack of regularity in the home.  Moreover, chaos in the child’s home may have less to do with economic shocks or other society-wide economic transformations than with the growing freedom of choice (both good and bad) that parents have concerning issues such as marriage, childbearing, and work, as well as how their choices affect their children’s lives (Lichter, et., al., 2010).

Environmental chaos typically refers to disruptions in multiple domains, which include but are not limited to, sensory overload, physical crowding, and routine family life.  When routines are diminished in frequency and family life is disorganized, questions about how the group works together collectively to promote and sustain healthy development are raised (Fiese & Winter).

In my own case my sister and I never knew what we were going to walk into after school or after being out with friends.  From the age of approximately eleven our home was in constant chaos with arguments as the normal environment we lived in.  Once our parents divorced, there were other circumstances that are still very painful to recount that I know had negative repercussions on our development in many areas.  I chose to use babysitting on an almost constant basis in order to totally avoid being in my home except to sleep.  Unfortunately, due to the stress involved with our household my grades began to slip and I needed to get them back up in a hurry or I would not be permitted to babysit any longer.  Sadly, at this time, this is the reason I chose to work even harder at school work.  I believe I still have residual effects from my childhood that will more than likely never fully be put to rest. 

References

Lichter, D. T., & Wethington, E. (2010). Chaos and the diverging fortunes of American children: A historical perspective. In G. W. Evans, T. D. Wachs, G. W. Evans, T. D. Wachs (Eds.), Chaos and its influence on children's development: An ecological perspective (pp. 15-32). Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/12057-002