Can classroom friendships counter the effects of harsh parenting?
| Nov 26, 2018, 16:10 IST
Did you know harsh parenting can have really adverse effects on a child? It can lead to defiant, non-compliant and revengeful behaviour in children. And this behaviour can spill over into their adulthood which might cause them to face problems with authority figures. A study has now found that having warm teachers and friends in kindergarten can help counter these negative effects of harsh parenting. For this study, the researchers looked at nearly 338 kindergarteners in six public schools.
“Acceptance within one’s peer group creates opportunities for socialisation and a sense of belonging that acts as a buffer against the impact of harsh parenting,” said Danielle Roubinov, an assistant professor at UCSF. “Healthy peer relationships may have an attenuating influence by modelling or providing children with feedback about the inappropriate nature of oppositional behaviours acquired from harsh interactions with parents,” she said.
“The teacher-child relationship has frequently been framed in terms of extended attachment theory, and a high-quality teacher-child relationship may function in a manner analogous to the secure base of a child’s primary attachment, the parent,” said Roubinov. “Warm relationships may improve children’s self-regulation, positive emotionality and responsiveness to warnings about oppositional behaviour,” she said.
“Acceptance within one’s peer group creates opportunities for socialisation and a sense of belonging that acts as a buffer against the impact of harsh parenting,” said Danielle Roubinov, an assistant professor at UCSF. “Healthy peer relationships may have an attenuating influence by modelling or providing children with feedback about the inappropriate nature of oppositional behaviours acquired from harsh interactions with parents,” she said.
“The teacher-child relationship has frequently been framed in terms of extended attachment theory, and a high-quality teacher-child relationship may function in a manner analogous to the secure base of a child’s primary attachment, the parent,” said Roubinov. “Warm relationships may improve children’s self-regulation, positive emotionality and responsiveness to warnings about oppositional behaviour,” she said.