Growing up in a tough environment can have a negative impact on both our physical and mental health. But there are some things that can help us stay healthy even when we face these challenges. One of those things is when parents pay close attention to what their kids are doing, suggested a recent study titled, ‘The protective role of parental vigilance in the link between risky childhood environments and health.’
Benefits Of Protective Parenting
The study conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia suggested that setting rules and boundaries or keeping an eye on their children's daily activities, can help parents protect them from serious medical conditions in their adult life, especially if they are in a risky environment.
The researchers looked at data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97 to explore the link between ‘environmental risk in adolescence and indices of physical and mental health in young adulthood, and whether parental vigilance (limit-setting and knowledge) buffered these associations.’ This means that psychologists and researchers tried to assess how growing up in a risky environment affects the physical and mental health of children as they become adults. They also checked if having parents who set rules or knew a lot about their kids' lives made a difference to their health.
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Helping Kids Avoid Health Issues As Adults
Studying the information from the survey that follows 8,984 American youth born between 1980-84, who were first interviewed in 1997, and then 19 times till 2020, the Georgia University researchers concluded:
- Growing up in a risky environment made it more likely for people to have physical health problems when they reached age 29. But it didn't seem to have a big impact on mental health when they were around 34 years old.
- Parents setting rules and limits helped reduce the connection between growing up in a risky environment and having physical health problems. So, if parents were strict about rules, it made the link between risk and health issues weaker.
- Moms who knew a lot about their kids' lives were linked to fewer mental health problems when those kids grew up, no matter if they faced risks during childhood or not.
- For kids who grew up in a safe and low-risk environment, some of these strict rules from parents were not found to be as helpful for their health.
In conclusion, this study provided a credible scientific basis for a truth that we have known for ages- that parents play a big role in our health as we grow up. So, in simple terms, having parents who set rules and keep a watchful eye on your life and health, can protect your physical health if you had a tough childhood, and moms who know what's going on in their kids' lives can help with mental health, no matter where you grew up.
