Scientists have linked parenting methods to the risk of depression in adolescents
Scientists from the Faculty of Psychology at Lingnan University (Hong Kong), together with colleagues from the South China Normal University and the Guangdong University of Education, have found that psychological pressure from parents, including manipulation of feelings of guilt and threats of lovelessness, provokes the development of depression and increases the risk of self-harm in adolescents. This was reported on June 2 by Medical Xpress magazine.
The researchers conducted a longitudinal study over the course of a year, tracking the condition of 742 elementary school students. According to the findings, the suppression of a child's autonomy and the use of emotional blackmail tactics impair a teenager's ability to regulate his emotions. This leads to an increase in impulsivity and difficulties in overcoming negative experiences, which is especially pronounced in girls.
Lin Li, Associate Professor of Psychology at Lingnan University
Many parents have exceptionally high expectations of their children, hoping that they will succeed and succeed. Some view control as a form of caring and responsibility, or act on the belief that it is "for their own good," inadvertently exerting psychological pressure as a result. Instead of achieving the desired educational outcome, this can seriously harm a child's mental health, self-esteem, and parent-child relationships.
The researchers identified four parenting profiles. The most favorable was the "supportive" style (43.6% of families), where the child's opinion is respected and psychological control is rarely used. These families have the lowest risk of depression in children. About 33.1% of parents demonstrate a "moderately mixed" style with inconsistent requirements, which makes it difficult for a teenager to understand adult expectations.
The most problematic are the "controlling" profile (17.4%), which requires unquestioning obedience, and the "high mixed" profile (5.9%). In the latter case, the parents only formally grant the child freedom, while continuing to use hidden manipulations. Contradictory signals from adults in such families disorient adolescents and most often correlate with acts of self-harm a year after the start of observations.
According to the authors, the prevention of adolescent self-harm should include not only dealing with children's personal emotional problems, but also improving family dynamics. Professor Lee emphasized that parents need to reduce the level of psychological control in order to help children develop emotional self-regulation skills. The education sector is encouraged to identify risk groups at an early stage, taking into account the parenting style in the family.
Vladimir Skavysh, a pediatric psychiatrist at JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg Clinic), spoke to Izvestia on April 22 about the benefits of physical activity in depression and anxiety disorders in adolescents. According to him, psychotherapy and medications do not always give stable results. Skavysh called the most effective programs combining aerobic exercise, such as running, walking or dancing, with moderate strength exercises. The specialist emphasized that moderate exercise for 8-12 weeks is optimal for symptoms of depression, and milder and more gentle exercises are better suited for anxiety.
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