2023-07-21 18:00:00
For several years, positive education has been the subject of debate. As a reminder, it includes a series of encouraging and supportive techniques, such as praise for a successful action, emotional support and affection, which would promote the well-being and development of the child. Recently, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh (United States) showed that positive education might reduce the effects of stress on the brain and behavior of young people.
Fewer behavioral problems in children with a positive upbringing
In one study, scientists wanted to find out if positive parenting protects once morest stress and behavioral problems in children. For this, they recruited 482 young people aged 10 to 17 and analyzed their brain scans. “We measured brain tissue using structural magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, a technique that allows us to look at the size of brain regions. To assess stress, we asked the children regarding the number of negative events they had experienced,” said the team in a statement.
According to the results, published in the journal PNAS Nexuschildren who had experienced greater distress following experiencing stressful events (physical abuse or neglect), but who viewed their parents as supportive, had fewer behavioral problems, such as rule breaking or aggression.
Positive education: no decrease in brain tissue in the hippocampus
“Previous research shows that higher childhood stress was correlated with lower hippocampal volumes,” the authors said. This region of the brain is essential for learning, memory and stress management. But in the work, they found that young people’s perception of having received a positive and supportive upbringing served as a buffer once morest the biological effects of stress. Even when young people showed high levels of stress, those who had had a positive upbringing did not show reductions in brain tissue in the hippocampus.
“Coping with stress more effectively”
“Our study underscores the importance of positive parenting in supporting healthy brain development and resilience in children. By fostering a positive environment, caregivers can help children cope with stress more effectively,” wrote the researchers, who now want to understand which aspects of stress matter. “For example, threatening experiences, such as violence, may influence the brain and behavior differently than deprivation experiences, such as lack of food.”
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