When effective parental psychological support is given to a child, their emotional and social growth can be jeopardized (McGraw, Reupert and Maybery, 2018). Parental psychopathology when dealing with children suffering from PTSD has consistently led to negative outcomes on the mental health of the children. Considering the relationship between parents and children, this essay will discuss the significance of raising children in an environment where both mental and social health is guaranteed. Over time, most researchers have argued that the nature of parenting that children suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder should be different from that of normal children.
A number of authors have written articles on the aspects that parents raising children suffering from PTSD should embrace. Based on a study by Van Ee, Kleber and Jongmans (2016), previous analysis on the effects of PTSD on various families should be evaluated based on a special contribution that demonstrated that disconnection could occur in the case of insensitive parenting. The survey findings showed that 23.8% of the sample had little or zero access to education, 17.9% studied until primary school level, while17.9% studied up to a secondary school level.
Discussion
Parental satisfaction is among the most crucial factors that can be used to achieve effective care for children suffering from PTSD. The study also shows that 77% of the veterans who had PTSD were married. Notably, effective parenting also creates healthy interactions between the parent and the child and leads to a child’s mental growth. Parenting satisfaction is defined as the positive feeling of success that parents enjoy based on the positive bond they build with children. Even though parenting satisfaction can be achieved through a number of ways, giving attention to a child's traumatic stress is considered the best way of achieving a parent-to-child bond. It is apparent that parents who have suffered PTSD before and survived such as those who worked in the army during Vietnam war have high chances of taking care of their children and guiding them through when they experience any traumatic stress.
Female war veterans have high chances of suffering PTSD thereby negatively affecting their parenting satisfaction. As a result, proper parenting techniques should be instilled to ensure that children raised by mothers suffering from PTSD do not suffer from the same. The number of parents who are living with trauma related to their roles in the military rise has been on the rise hence affecting the quality of parenting that children are subjected to (McGraw, Reupert and Maybery, 2018). Most families where parents live with PTSD have a major problem raising mentally upright children. As a result of the actions and experiences that took place in battlefields, a great number of parents have realized the need to ensure that children are raised in an environment where they cannot be affected by the health conditions of the parents.
Most of the studies that have been conducted on parenting among those suffering from PTSD have depicted parents as people who experienced disconnection from their children in many situations of their life. Further, some parents spoke of how they had to “fake love” and ensure that their children do not understand the conditions they were going through. Most parents choose to handle their trauma privately to avoid creating an environment of unstable emotions among the children (McGraw, Reupert and Maybery, 2018). Parents with PTSD can sometimes feel disconnected and are likely related raise children who are emotionally numb. Therefore, avoidance of the symptoms that are inherent to PTSD when dealing with mirrors can help raise a child without making them develop any trauma.
According to research by McGaw et al., (2018), generally, the participants who were described under the umbrella results of PTSD showed low parenting skills and accepted into faking affection with their children. The symptoms were interwoven with several families and child-care experiences, reactions, and decisions such as where to live and which games to allow the children to play. In the families where one of the parents once suffered from PTSD, the children were often raised by single parents who did not get affected by PTSD.
Looking at the concept of parenting from the lens of a PTSD patient showed the explicit relationship between the mental health of children and the nature of their upbringing. In the literature and theories that discuss attachment, there have been proposals on the need for parents with PTSD to ensure that they do not inflict fear, threaten or show any dissociative behavior in parenting (McGaw et al., 2018). Such actions that are related to different traumatic experiences could be used to explain reasons for the association between parental PTSD and child growth.
Until recently, the discussion on attachment and the need for trauma research were being manifested along separate lines. However, a number of theories have been developed on the underlying mechanisms that can be used to help parents with cases of unresolved trauma or loss as well as PTSD (McGraw, Reupert and Maybery, 2018). Through the use of a cognitive framework, it is notable that various models can be used to eliminate traumatic experiences that were linked to unresolved cases of intrusive and evident symptoms of PTSD. People who were classified under the category of unresolved PTSD showed striking lapses in their parenting skills that lead to health issues among the children. Children living with parents who are affected by PTSD can also experience moments of loneliness and crave for more attention.
Studies by Van Ee, Kleber, and Jongmans, (2016) reveal that relational patterns among traumatized parents who showed emotional unavailability perceived their children less positively compared to parents who did not show any symptoms of PTSD. Moreover, analysis of patterns among children whose parents suffered from PTSD indicated that they were uncontrollable or distressed when they got older. Such children also showed increased negativity in response to psychosocial development compared to children raised by parents who did not show any signs of PTSD. There are extensive similarities between children whose parents suffered from PTSD at some point in their lives. Methods such as metallization, the creation of attachments, development of physiological factors, and increased incidences of abuse also create a better platform from where parents can learn to raise normal children despite their conditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is of great essence to note that a child’s development is greatly affected by the nature of parenting offered. Remarkably, children whose parents suffered from PTSD often grow in an environment filled with lots of instances of emotional instability. As a result, parents who experience any symptoms of PTSD should ensure that they create an emotional attachment with their child to avoid any situations that might lead to the negative mental health of the child. Parenting satisfaction should also be a goal of every parent where the goal is to ensure the child is raised in an emotionally and socially stable manner.
References
McGaw E. V., Reupert E. A., and Maybery D., (2018). Parenting With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Veterans Experience. Traumatology
Van Ee, E., Kleber, R. J., and Jongmans, M. J. (2016). Relational patterns between caregivers with PTSD and their non-exposed children: A review. Trauma, Violence, " Abuse, 17(2), 186-203.
