Yes

by Sangay Glass

Created on: June 18, 2007   Last Updated: January 26, 2009

Stress related parental abuse and homicide often make for shocking headlines, but the average parent doesn't have to be clinically stressed to endanger their children.

While mild stress can encourage safety and good conduct such as buckling our children securely in a seat belt for fear of injury or a ticket, moderate to severe stress can be a hazard.

Daily stressors like being in a hurry, anxiety over our parental performance, and the duties of being a pivotal member of a family comes with the territory of being a parent. Unfortunately, it's these types of stressors that put our children in physical and/or mental jeopardy.

Stress has several effects which can lead to inadvertent harm.

1)Reckless behavior:

A parent stressed about an argument with a spouse may drive too fast out of anger. A parent upset about a job loss may consume too much alcohol and frighten their child with their drunken behavior.

2)Irritabil ity:

A person under stress will often lash out at others or at the very least be abrupt and rude. Children tend to believe that they are to blame when parents act this way. Each outburst by a stressed parent will cut deep into the child's psyche.

3)Inability to Concentrate:

It's a parent's utmost responsibility to be able to focus on their children's well being. When people are stressed they can be inward thinking (only thinking about themselves), or obsessive (repetitive thoughts that are out of control).

These types of thoughts cause people to step away from the necessary tasks of daily living and cross the boundaries of safety which makes it difficult to concentrate on things that are important

An inability concentrate causes people to run through stop lights, forget to turn off stoves, and even delay medical treatment of a sick child because the parent is too busy worrying making sure they pick up a spouse at the airport on time.

4)Development of an Anxiety Disorder:

Anxiety disorders require professional intervention. They take the form or phobias and generalized anxiety (the patient has been stressed to the point where they are unaware of the cause and have physical symptoms). These types of disorders can lead a parent to socially guard their children and keep them indoors which is mental abuse.

Which bring us to the most dangerous of anxiety disorders, obsessive /compulsive disorder. A parent may begin to have obsessive thoughts that their child is bad. This could develop into a fear of the child or a feeling that the child needs to stopped. It's parents with this type of disorder that occasionally slip through the cracks and sadly make headlines.

How can a parent prevent endangering their children because of stress?

First it's important to acknowledge stress. If you are tense, annoyed, or worried about something it's best to deal with those feelings as quickly as possible instead of denying them.

1)Step back, take a breath, and count to ten before reacting or getting behind the wheel.

2)Take some time to get active. Exercise is a great stress reliever, and a brisk walk will help you think through the situation that is causing your stress.

3)Learn relaxation techniques and use them. These can be as simple as controlling your breathing (Lamaze is a great even outside the delivery room) or as dedicated as tai chi. A good place to start: http://www.shsu.edu/ ~counsel/hs/shortrel ax.html

If you feel that stress is overwhelming you or someone you love it is not a sign of weakness or silly to seek help. Sometimes just talking is all that is needed.

If further treatment is necessary it's best to work with your doctor and be honest about your feelings and fears since avoiding treatment often lead to destructive self medicating behaviors like drinking or abuse.

And remember to always get help immediately when thoughts of suicide are involved.

Sometimes stress leads to health complications or is caused by a medical condition. Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, and sweating are signs similar to anxiety. They are also symptoms of a heart attack Don't delay yourself treatment because you just think you're stressed. A recent study showed that women are at high risk to deny these symptoms.

Medical conditions such as thyroid disease can cause a person to have panic attacks or anxiety.

Taking care of yourself and your stress levels are steps in the right direction to becoming a better parent. Start today because your children's life depends on it.

Resources used:
www.nlm.nih.gov /medlineplus/ency/ar ticle/003211.htm
www. helpguide.org/mental /stress_signs.htm

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