educate
J
Generation Stress
SPRING 2018
maskmatters.org
45
When exposed to significant
or long-term stress, the
adolescent brain shows growth
in areas that play roles in things
like anxiety and depression, and
shrinkage in other areas. Along
with the structural volumetric
changes going on in the brain,
chemical/hormonal changes
are occurring in the brain as
well. Stress has been shown to
increase hormonal responses,
which children are more sensitive
to compared to adults. This can
lead to changes in blood sugar,
weight, sleep pattern, etc., which
can further weaken the defenses
against stress.
The long-term effects of these
changes are that they predispose
the child to develop depression,
anxiety disorders and even
psychotic symptoms as they
grow older, and they can also
eventually lead to immune
system compromise. Stress is
unavoidable, of course, and
some children get exposed
to stress that many of us
can only imagine: separation
from parents, witnessing
violence and death, abuse,
severe poverty and intractable
medical issues.
The good news is that
research shows there
are ways to minimize
the consequences
and long-term effects
of stress. Providing
enriching environments to
offset the stress has been
shown to decrease hormonal
stress reactivity. For example,
in children who have been
separated from their family
(particularly mothers or the
main caretakers), providing
them with a more spacious
living environment and having
more activities available to
occupy their interests led to
reduced stress reactivity and
increased cognitive abilities
compared to those separated
from family but not given
similar better opportunities.
Also, children given the
opportunity for ample social
interactions prior to a stressor
have a better ability to resist
the impacts of stress and/or to
bounce back faster.
If getting psychiatric
medical treatment is not an
option, then consider early
and varied socialization
experiences and providing
a clean, calm and positive
thought-provoking
environment for our children
to protect them against the
impact of stress on their
fragile brains.
