Robin's Early Childhood Studies Blog: Research Study - Growing Pains: The Impact of Disaster-Related and Daily Stressors on the Psychological and Psychosocial FUntioning of Youth in Sri Lanka

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Research Study - Growing Pains: The Impact of Disaster-Related and Daily Stressors on the Psychological and Psychosocial FUntioning of Youth in Sri Lanka

Developmental psychology, supported by nearly four decades of research, has shown that children’s development is influenced by multiple factors at multiple levels. These range from intrapersonal variables (both biological and psychological) to factors operating at the level of the family, community, and society (Ferando, et., al., 2010).

In an effort to understand the impact of stressful events and contexts (parental divorce and poverty) on children’s emotional, cognitive, and social well-being, researchers have begun to look to identify and understand mediating and moderating factors at multiple levels of influence that might explain or influence the relation between stressors and children’s mental health (Ferando., et., al., 2010).

Daily stressors may mediate the relation between exposure to disaster-related stressors and psychological and psychosocial distress among youth in disaster-affected countries (Ferando, et., al., 2010). In this study a sample of 427 Sri Lankan Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim youth with a mean age of 14.5 years) completed a survey with measures of exposure to disaster-related stressors and daily stressors, psychological distress (which included posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety), and psychosocial distress. The results of the study indicated that daily stressors significantly mediated relations between war and tsunani-related stressors and psychological and psychosocial distress. Some of the daily stressors which were not directly related to disaster also predicted functioning. Therefore, these results seem to point to the need for policies and interventions that focus on reducing proximal daily stressors that are salient to Sri Lankan youth exposed to disasters (Ferando, et., al., 2010).

The above-mentioned research study was really interesting to read and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about this type of stressors.

References

Fernando, G., Miller, K., & Berger, D. (2010). Growing pains: the impact of disaster-related and daily stressors on the psychological and psychosocial functioning of youth in Sri Lanka. Child Development, 81(4), 1192-1210.

Fiese B, Winter M. The dynamics of family chaos and its relation to children's socioemotional well-being. Chaos and its influence on children's development: An ecological perspective [e-book]. Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association; 2010:49-66. Available from: PsycINFO, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 23, 2011.

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PERSONAL CHILDHOOD WEB

When constructing my personal childhood web I needed to remember those who contributed to a feeling of being loved, left me feeling special in some way, and cared about. This was a difficult task as my memories of my childhood, especially from the years of ten and up, were more of surviving this time instead of enjoyment.

Those individuals who did leave a positive impression in some way during the course of my early childhood and middle childhood are: my maternal step-grandfather; my mother; my father; my sister; and my mother's long-term boyfriend and father figure in later years.

My maternal step-grandfather, Monty Crytzer, was the one person in my childhood that I could always count on the keep me laughing and see the fun part of childhood. Even though we are not biologically related, I attribute my sense of humor and how I look at life to him. When times get tough, I always remember how he taught me the importance of being a kid at heart. One specific memory is of him pushing my sister and me around K-Mart in a shopping cart telling us to yell for our mom and grandmother. We had fun, they were totally embarrassed. I have many wonderful memories of my time spent with him.

My mother, Sarah, had her ups and downs as a parent. Most of my memories are not of fun times but to give her credit she did the best she could under the circumstances she found herself in during my later early childhood and middle childhood years. She took care of the basics in order for us to be healthy. She made sure we ate, had clothes, got up for school, etc... It was in the department of showing love that she had a tough time in. I always assumed she loved us but just did not know how to show it.

My father, Eddie, was a great father when we were little whenever he was around (which was not often because of work). He was very interested in technology and I credit him with my interest in all types of gizmos, gadgets, and computers of any type. The times I remember the most fondly were spent in his workroom as a young child being instructed on how to use his Ham Radio setup. Unfortunately, he slowly disappeared out of my life when I was around ten or so.

My sister, Wendy, is older than I am but we always shared a room. We were close later in early childhood and in early middle childhood due to the environment we lived in. Specific memories are painful to remember, but it was and is important that she was there when times were tough. We went through a rough time in later childhood but are now as close as ever.

My mom's long-term boyfriend, Ralph, was and still is a father figure for me. Since the age of fifteen, he has been the person who pretty much took on that role in my life. We never lived in the same house but do live only two houses apart. Aside from taking on some of the roles as father figure, he is a great listener as well as full of information that he loves to share.

There were others who had an impact as I progressed into adulthood but these are the five that came to mind for my early childhood and middle childhood. I do believe we are a product of our environment in so many ways and even though three of the five mentioned are no longer alive, the impact they had on my life is still present today.

Robin's Early Childhood Studies Blog

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Research Study - Growing Pains: The Impact of Disaster-Related and Daily Stressors on the Psychological and Psychosocial FUntioning of Youth in Sri Lanka

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