Childhood Stressors

As I think about the gravity of real childhood stressors, I realize how fortunate I was to have the comfortable, supportive childhood I had.  I was not touched by any of the listed stressors.  My early childhood days were in the 1960's.  The only stressor that comes to mind within my network of friends was divorce.  Divorce was very rare at that time.  My next door neighbors experienced it and they were not only left dealing with the sadness, anger, and adjustments that divorce brings; but, also the stigma that divorce in the 1960's brought with it.  I watched the two youngest show their distress in opposite ways.  One chose to externalize his feelings by acting out and was always in trouble.  The other internalized her problems and was very quiet and withdrawn, eventually needing counseling. Today, the stress of divorce is still very real, but the isolation and stigma that once was associated with divorce is not as relevant as it was in the 1960's.

I chose to look at the affect that war has on children in Africa.  These are Congolese children who are seeking refuge in Tanzania.  Many children and their families of the Congo have sought refuge since 1996 when the first Congo war began (Mann, 2010).  The Tanzanian government requires all refugees to live in designated camps, but many live undocumented in the city of Dar es Salaam (Mann, 2010).  Most Tanzanizans see them as freeloaders and do not respect what the refugees have experience in the Congo. Mann's research found that it wasn't the experiences of war that stressed the children most; but, rather the isolation, discrimination, and harrassment they experienced as "illegals" (2010).  Not knowing if their parents might be deported or if they would have food to eat or if they were going to be demeaned by verbal or physical abuse were the stressors they faced on a daily basis.  Children struggled to maintain some sort of healthy self concept amidst the barrage of negative comments. 

How do children cope?  Children had learned to cope as adults did, they looked to the future so that they would not get overwhelmed with the hopelessness of the present.  They stayed busy, helping where they could, because they feared the depression that thinking brought in idle moments.  They yearned for education as a means of building a future.  Unfortunately, the education the Tanzanian schools provided was of very poor quality.  They developed a "project" which was a plan for the future.  According to Mann, most of their childhood was spent planning for adulthood when they hoped to find a new life away from the dehumanizing life of a refugee (2010). 

In looking at the stress of war I found several other stressors interwoven: poverty, isolation, hunger, and violence.  The interaction of developmental domains present themselves in the biosocial domain with stomach pains, headaches, exhaustion, and slow growth due to malnutrition (Mann, 2010).  The cognitive domain is affected because appropriate affordances are not available, education is very inadequate.  Psychosocial development is the domain may be affected the most.  Fear is the strongest force driving their existance.  There is a constant battle with depression and a fight to keep some sort of healthy self conept in an environment of insecurity and harrassment.

Mann, Gillian.  (2010).  Finding a life among undocumented Congolese refugee children in Tanzania.
Children & Society, 24(4), 261-270.  Retrieved from ERIC Database.

Global Immunizations

I chose to look at the topic of immunizations.  From our readings this week, you might recall the case of the man from Kansas who died from complications from chicken pox (Berger, 2009).  He caught chicken pox (varicella) from his daughter.  No one in their family had been vaccinated.  This happened as recently as 2002.  I live in Kansas and varicella vaccination is now madatory for children by age 3.  Kansas made immunization standards more stringent in 2009.  As a licensed preschool we must be sure all of our children have the required immunizations or they are not admitted.  If families cannot afford immunizations, our local health department provides them at a reduced rate.  We sometimes take for granted that the vacines are so readily available so I decided to look into efforts to immunize around the world.

I found some interesting information on the World Health Organization's (WHO) website http://www.who.int/immunization/givs/en/index.html 

WHO and UNICEF joined forces to help more countries immunize more people.  They developed the Global Immunization Vison and Strategy (GIVS).  Their vision as stated on the website follows:
"Launched in 2006, GIVS is the first ever ten-year framework aimed at controlling morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases and helping countries to immunize more people, from infants to seniors, with a greater range of vaccines."

Many countries have now used GIVS to help them formulate national plans for immunization. As of May 2011 when GIVS reported to the World Health Assembly, routine immunization coverage has improved, more vaccines are available to more children, progress has been made in eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus, cases of measles and deaths have been reduced, and advocacy programs have been implemented to educate on the importance of immunizations.

One more website I would encourage you to visit if this topic interests you:  Vactruth.com
the particular link I visited discusses the need for proper handling of vaccines and the deadly effect improper handling can have.  It also proposes the idea that some of the children in poverty stricken areas are so malnourished and sanitation levels are so dangerous, they are too sick to handle these vaccinations.  http://vactruth.com/2011/03/21/children-die-minutes-after-measles-vaccine-in-india/ 

It seems that I am the "enforcer" when it comes time to screen our preschoolers' immunization records.  It is not a responsiblity I enjoy; but, I have a new appreciation for the privilege it is to live where these vaccines are so readily available.

Berger, K.S. (2009).  The developing person through childhood (5th ed.).  New York, NY:  Worth Publishers.

Childbirth

I have to be honest and tell you that this week has been very educational for me and also very trying.  My husband and I are were not able to have children so over the years I have distanced myself from babies as a way of avoiding the sense of loss and sadness that comes with infertility. You might ask, why are you in this profession?  I have always wanted to be a teacher.  My passion is the world of three, four and five year olds.  I love them.  I hope my preschoolers will be my legacy.  So, my experience with childbirth is no experience at all except my own birth and my parents did not videotape that event since no one did that in those days.
After the readings and video this week my eyes were really opened to how the prenatal period really has a profound affect on the health of the baby.  I have a better understanding of some of my preschoolers when I look at the what their mothers' prenatal experiences were like. 

I found an interesting link after watching the optional resource (PBS Nova: Life's Greatest Miracle).  
The presentation is called "Two Worlds of Maternal Health".  It was an interactive question and answer session comparing the birth experience for women in developing nations (North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan as defined by the United Nations) and all other regions.  The following statistics were provided by Susan K. Lewis (2008):  Women not living in developing nations face a significant risk dying from childbirth complications.  It is the leading cause of death for women ages 15-49. In the U.S. a woman's chances of dying are 1 in 4,800.   Many of the women in the poverty stricken areas are already suffering from malnutrition, anemia, and other infectious diseases.  The research showed that if adequate nutrition and medical care were provided from early pregnancy through post delivery nearly 3/4 of all newborn deaths could be prevented.  28% of women in the sub-Sahara give birth by age 18.  Their pelvises are small due to malnutrition or are not fully developed since the mothers are so young.  They face a high risk of stillborn babies or birth injury.  In developed nations, 99% of births are overseen by skilled personnel.  Only 1 in 17 births in Ethiopia have a professional present and in even poorer areas 1 in 100 have a midwife or other professional present at birth.  Most of these births take place in rural areas lacking clean water or sanitation.  The World Health Organization concluded that education is the key to overcoming poverty and the low status of females, as well as the lack of understanding and access to reproductive health care.   
Resource:  Lewis, Susan. (2008).  Two Worlds of Maternal Health.  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/maternal-health.html