By Jaime Herndon

Life throws all of us curveballs, but we don’t want to think of our nieces and nephews experience anything traumatic. Still, nearly half of all kids in the United States do experience an adverse event that can have long-term effects on their health or schooling.

Researchers from the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that events like parents' divorce, living around drug or alcohol abuse, or a parental death, can have negative consequences on healthy development. Effects can include an increased risk of asthma, obesity, autism spectrum disorders, and repeating a grade in school. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, a large, ongoing study on childhood maltreatment and its long-term effects, shows the impact these events have on children.

Adults can work with healthcare providers to learn how to help teach kids resilient ways of thinking and behaving, like using breathing techniques, for example. And we can begin to be more aware of our own expressions of emotion in front of the children so not to add to their stress. Plus, by learning resiliency skills ourselves, we can help provide an atmosphere of safety for children while helping us be role models for positive behaviors. 

Get tips on how to help kids around holiday stress here.

Published: December 10, 2014