Culture Post: Unstable Surroundings Have Lasting Effects on Youth Well-Being

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Newsise.

The more unpredictable an environment is for children, the more likely they are to exhibit mental and physical health issues when they hit their teenage and early adulthood years, according to new University of Georgia research.

The study linked impulsive behaviors from parents, frequent partner changes, child care instability and overall chaos in households to poor behavior and mental instability in children as they grew up.

Homes with consistent co-parenting and routines were associated with better youth outcomes.

“Giving children a script to understand how daily events unfold helps set them up for success,” said Kalsea Koss, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences ’ Department of Human Development and Family Science. “Having a family routine or consistent caregiver that’s very predictable in their behavior is helpful for children to have an understanding of what to expect and then to be able to build their own behavioral regulation strategies around that.”

The study relied on data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which followed more than 4,800 children from birth to age 15.

Children in less stable homes were more likely to exhibit impulsive or delinquent behaviors as teens, likely due to unregulated emotions, the researchers found.

The youth also reported higher levels of depression and anxiety.

Source: Newswise
https://www.newswise.com/articles/unstable-surroundings-have-lasting-effects-on-youth-well-being

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