How Has Your Childhood Affected You As An Adult?
- Did your parents abuse alcohol?
- Were your parents constantly arguing?
- Was their violence between your parents….or towards you?
- Were you ever deprived of food as a punishment?
- Were you bullied at school?
Painful memories from childhood can affect us as an adult in a way that takes away our happiness and enjoyment in life and also create insecurity. Coping with normal life challenges can be difficult. Counselling and/or Hypnotherapy can be effective in helping you overcome the difficulties of your childhood and create a more happier, satisfying life as an adult. Please take the first step and Contact Me for more information.
Many issues in early childhood development are directly linked to: emotional, physical and intellectual health in adulthood. Such things as:
- nutrition,
- income levels of parents,
- social interaction with family and friends and the general environment are all important factors when growing up.
Healthy Nutrition is Essential During Childhood Development
Healthy nutrition has a direct impact on health and physical and emotional development of children in their early years of life.
Nutritional deficiencies can result in diminished physical growth and poor overall health with long-term side effects on intellectual and physical development into adulthood. Research has shown that nutrition is strongly linked to the income level of the home with higher income families having better nutrition overall.
Parental Income Level Can Affect Childhood Development
Children born to mothers who live in poverty are typically of low birth weight and have more health issues during infancy and childhood. Lower income families usually have few resources for emotional and physical health and this can strongly affect overall development of young children.
The conclusion of the above mentioned research showed childhood physical health problems were linked to lower household income.
While physical problems may be obvious, mental health issues may occur earlier in childhood and not be recognised at the onset but persist into adulthood.
Research has found Childhood Psychological Problems begin to surface early on.
By age 23, people with childhood mental health issues had household incomes that were already 19% lower than those of their peers who didn’t have such childhood problems. Some of that disparity may have to do with the fact that affected children were 6% less likely to be in a stable relationship as adults, and so they missed out on having dual-income families. Another factor being those with childhood psychological problems were also 11% less likely to work, and held fewer jobs continuously.
Social Conditions Affect Childhood Development
A child learns to socialise outside the family as early as a few months and these social interactions have a profound impact on early childhood development. Social conditions of parents and/or caretakers directly affect language, social and emotional development of children, often with permanent results. Social skills are an important part of development and having a secure and loving attachment to parent or caretaker is essential for long-term emotional, physical and intellectual growth and stimulation.
Effect of Environment on Childhood Development
The environment in which a child grows up directly affects their development. Children exposed to higher levels of toxins, pollution, poor water, and lower overall safety are at a higher risk of development issues. Access to healthcare and safe places to play are vital for development. Researchers say that over a lifetime, early psychological health may be much more important than physical health.
Children, Electronics and Obesity
Electronic entertainment has diminished active play and the learning of hands-on skills, all of which support children’s healthy development and prepare them for the workplace. It has also been recently reported by the medical profession that eyesight can be affected by a child spending vast amounts of time using electronic equipment, e.g. mobiles. In addition children burn far more energy during active play than in sedentary activities. For this reason there is strong evidence that links time spent in front of the TV and computer screens with increased risk of obesity and its associated health problems.