Week 4 Stressers and How They Affect Children

When thinking of stressors, the first one that jumped out at me was chaos. I see chaos every day in a number of forms and for a number of reasons. I know several single moms who have four children. The children experience chaos every day. For example, all the moms have different people who are in and out of their lives while trying to have enough money to pay rent with a minimum wage job. All the moms are receiving WICK, food stamps, government housing and assistance with daycare. In order to continue to receive benefits the mothers must work at least 30 hours a week. With a 30 hour week job, the mothers are making too much to continue to receive benefits. This causes chaos because the mother is stressed; therefore, the children are stressed. Several of the children are exhibiting behavior issues because the children are being watched by a number of people, worry about money and food and are very insecure.

One of the stressers I have not experienced or seen in children are the ones who are changed because of war and being children soldiers. “Today, among the 87 war-torn countries in which data have been gathered, 300,000-500,000 children are involved with fighting forces as child soldiers (Harvard Public Health Review, n.d., p 1).” According to the assistant professor of child health and human rights, Department of Global Health and Population, Theresa Betancourt, “We need to devise lasting systems of care, instead of leaving behind a dust cloud that disappears when the humanitarian actor leave (p 4).”

In Betancourt’s studies, she has found that child soldiers were taken at a young age and taught to be killers. The child soldiers were mistreated and had no choice but to become a soldier. The girls that are with the soldiers, not voluntarily, were raped and had unwanted pregnancies. When the wars end, the children are left adrift with no one telling them what to do and returning to villages where they are seen as killers and unclean.  (Harvard Public Health Review, n.d.)

Betancourt and her team have started a pilot model known as the Youth Readiness Intervention. This program is monumental in helping children assimilate into their communities after being boy soldiers. According to Betancourt, she is providing a service for the country. “In the aftermath of chaotic civil wars, investments in psychosocial and mental health problems are typically phased out as the problem shifts to a postconflict and then a reconstruction phase (Harvard Public Health Review, p. 8).”

Harvard Public Health Review. (2011). Helping Former Child Soldiers Become Whole Again: Life After Death. Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/files/2013/01/review_fall_2011_child_soldiers.pdf

Week 2 Child Development and Public Health

I chose immunization because over the years I have heard the different arguments on whether or not the immunizations are safe. According to Berger, immunizations along with clean water and nourishing food have made a difference in the survival of young children. So, why do parents not want to safeguard their children's health by immunizing them?

I can understand some of the arguments and especially because of religious reasons, but I can still see where not getting the shots could hurt the child. Several years ago before the chicken pox vaccine was mandatory, I had a toddler who did not receive immunizations because of religion reasons. The child did not do well in our child care setting. We had a breakout of chicken pox and the child almost died. So, when the child was better, I asked the family to not bring him because of the risk to the child. In reading the text, the herd immunity was very interesting. If the chicken pox shot had been mandatory, I think the risk to the child would have been smaller because of herd immunity. According to Berger, people who are not immunized are covered by herd immunity if 90% of the population is immunized. The shots also protect individuals from serious complications, such as deafness, deformities, and sterility.

In China, the immunizations are similar to the United States immunization shots. The one difference is the vaccination for the Bird flu (Avian influenza A(H7N9). Since this virus was never seen in humans just birds, the outbreaks have made the vaccination mandatory and research to show how the flu is not spread by human to human contact but by dead birds. Fortunately, the United States has not had the breakouts so only those traveling to China will need the vaccine.

As far as my future work, I think the immunizations are crucial for less childhood diseases and the health of our children. I have never felt the immunizations should not be mandatory. As with the chicken pox shot, instead of entire classroom and the facility having it, I very seldom see any cases and the one I have seen were maybe a couple of sores. So, all in all the immunizations are working and I for one am glad because my two year old nephew will have a greater chance of not having it at all.

Berger K.S. (2012). The Developing Person Through Childhood (6th ed). Worth Publishing; New York, NY.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.an). Avian Influenza S(H7N9). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/

My Birthing Experience for Walden Week 1

My birthing experience. I have actually not had a personal birthing experience and I have not be in the hospital when my brother's and cousin's children were born. So, my experience is second hand. I know from the information given by my family, each birthing experience is different. For example, one of my cousins never had an epidural for her three children because she always had them early. According to her, it was the contractions starting and a baby appearing just in time to get to the hospital. My brother's most recent addition to our family could not decide if he wanted to come out or not. My sister-in-law had contractions on and off for about a week and the doctor finally decided to induce her labor. Of course my nephew came out perfect.

Working in a child care setting; I am around pregnant moms all the time. In my experience, the siblings usually have an adjustment period. Once the birth actually takes place and the baby is brought home, the siblings mostly really do not like the new "doll" in the house. Of course, this happens with every only child  because he or she has been the only one around. Now, with middle children it is different, most of my middle children actually could care less and seem to adjust much faster than an only child. For example, my brother has an older daughter from his first marriage and she turned seventeen when her half brother was born. To make it worse, the doctor was going to induce my sister in law on my niece's birthday. Of course, that did not sit well with my niece so the day was changed to the day after her birthday. The adjustment for her was the attention lavished on the baby. At first, he was new and she liked to hold him. Now that he is two, she really just greets him with a hug and kiss. The age difference did not seem to change sibling behavior because my nephew refuses to call his sister by her name. Whereas, the step brother who is four only had an issue with the baby because he did not want him to ever play with his toys. Of course, that never happened.

Talking about my family has me wondering about other births in other cultures. In Australia, the Aboriginal society has customs that are followed. Either the day before or the day of birth, the child is given a totem. Totems are a deciding factor in how the children's relationships are defined within the tribe and his or her societal standing. The various language groups within the Aboriginal society is one determinate of the totem as well. Therefore, for an Aboriginal child, the group he or she is born into will provide the child with a totem, kinship lore, and marriage requirements as well as societal behavior the child will follow.  The Aboriginal birthdays were not celebrated until recent years. Now, birthdays are celebrated the same as an Australian baby (Queensland Government, 2008).

Queensland Government. (2008). Birth ceremonies, totems and rites in Aboriginal Society. Retrieved from http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach/indigenous_res012_0804.pdf