Turn in Portfolio Here! Due by 1PM 12/8

The one you submitted on 11/15. Just copy and paste it.  

3) A revision of the argumentative essay. You must CHANGE at least ten things. At least 5 of those things need to be major components like the intro, the thesis, transitional phrases, clunky senteces, etc. The other 5 can be smaller mistakes like punctuation/grammar. Paste the revision into the portfolio underneath the one you pasted that was turned in on 11/15.  

4) Below the revision of the argumentative essay, please LIST the ten components of the paper that you changed.  

Parental Involvement and Children’s Mental Health

Parents and caregivers play essential roles in children’s lives. Their role goes beyond the regular duties and responsibilities, such as providing food, security, and shelter. Parental roles shape children’s behaviors, experiences, and health, including physical and mental health. A parent’s mental health influences the child’s mental health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Biological and psychological ties binding children and parents are critical to a child’s emotional development. Parents and other caregivers must support their children in ways that will foster mental health wellness. Because of their critical impact on children’s health and wellness, parents should focus on getting into a healthy mental state that facilitates good parenting and creating a suitable and supportive environment for their children to thrive and grow into responsible adults.

Some people hold contrary views on the impact of parental mental wellness on children. A key point of argument is the actual relationship between the parent’s and the child’s mental health. Opponents of the idea hold that many other things within the environment a child grows affect their mental health and not the parents’ mental state. This opinion is only valid to some extent. Indeed, many environmental factors affect children’s physical and mental health and affect their behaviors later in life. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the significant influence of parental mental health and wellness. Most parents desire to see their children live long and successful lives with stable physical and mental health, thus their devoted presence and involvement in their children’s lives. Some parents’ mental state denies them the opportunity to participate in their children’s lives and offer them the care they need to live healthy and productive lives.

A child’s mental state significantly depends on their parent’s mental health. This means a direct relationship exists between the mental state of a parent and a child. A child’s mental soundness is associated with the achievement of developmental and emotional milestones throughout childhood, which are key for their overall growth and development. Furthermore, when mentally healthy and supportive adults surround children, they emulate essential social skills from them, learn to cope with the challenges they encounter in their own lives, and develop characters that promote a positive quality of life (UNICEF). Unfortunately, parenting is not as idyllic as it is often pictured. Parents encounter hard times, and children are receptors of parental distress, which may result from divorce, economic hardship, illnesses, and social isolation. As a result, children may become vulnerable to mental disorders.

Children’s growth and development significantly depend on their parents and the foundations of assistance they establish. The kind of care parents render children at their tender ages helps them develop their individuality for later life. Parents with personal psychological and mental health challenges such as anxiety may lack the ability to deliver the attention and care their children need to grow mentally fit. Research indicates that parents and caregivers with poor mental health are unlikely to engage in positive and interactive parenting practices (World Health Organization). Poor parental mental health affects their ability to stimulate and play with young children who may need play to promote their physical and cognitive development. It can also impact their ability to nurture kids, causing self-esteem issues in older children. Therefore, guardians’ poor mental health directly impacts the physical, psychological, social, and mental growth, consequently affecting their current and future mental states of children.

A 2021 study found that one in fourteen parents or caregivers have poor mental health, directly impacting their children (Wolicki et al.). The study further established that children under the care of parents or caregivers with poor mental health suffer distinct consequences that their counterparts do not. The authors discovered that there is a relationship between poor mental health in parents and poor mental health in children, mental or developmental disabilities, intellectual decline, and exposure to adverse childhood events. Moreover, the negative impacts of the parents’ poor mental states can proceed to adulthood. Mental health studies theorize that adult depression and anxiety are rooted in negative childhood experiences (Bradford et al.). Parents experiencing mental health issues and psychological problems often showcase negative parental behaviors. These problems may also lead to inadequate attention to children and greater dysfunction in the surrounding environment. Children growing up in such environments can experience low self-esteem, anxiety, aggression, poor academic performance, violence, isolation, and poor self-esteem.

Fathers and other male caregivers also play essential roles in their children’s mental wellness. While many studies involving children often focus on mothers as the primary caregivers, it is critical to acknowledge the role of fathers. Wolicki et al. found that the parent’s gender is not a determining or an influential factor in this context. The psychological health problems of parents equally impact children and cause them stress in equal measures. These problems are associated with behavioral problems in children, especially during their teenage and youthful years (Kamis). Parents who disregard their children’s feelings and emotions, fail to interact with and show concern for them and are uninvolved in their lives make them feel deserted and isolated. Such children can withdraw from society and live in isolation. All parents must thus focus on providing for their children’s physical, emotional, medical, and educational needs.

There are different approaches to parenting. Some individuals feel the need to connect with and constantly be involved in their children’s lives. Such parents also try to offer support whenever possible, encourage their children to discover themselves, and create an environment that promotes effective development and growth and fosters physical and mental wellness. Some parents may not be as involved in their children’s lives. Other parents may have psychological problems and poor mental health, affecting their ability to interact with and support their children (Kamis). In such cases, children in constant need of affection, care, and support may feel embarrassed when they cannot find it in their parents. They can turn to bad behaviors in search of attention or become self-reserved. Disregarding children’s needs can thus affect their mental health and the rest of their lives.

Essentially, parenting is a critical risk factor affecting children’s development and mental wellness. Parenting can have adverse impacts, but it is also amenable to change. This means that once parents identify their role in their children’s mental health development, they can embrace certain measures to improve their parenting and ensure their children have healthy lives (Ryan et al.). Children are a product of their environment and reflect what their environment offers. When both parents focus on creating a suitable environment for their children, bettering themselves as parents, and working on their mental health, they can better protect their children from the effects of their mental health problems.

Parenting programs such as Parent-Infant Psychotherapy, Family Nurse Partnership, and other NICE-recommended parenting programs offer support to parents depending on their ages (Ryan et al.). They provide parents with the necessary information and resources for caring for and supporting their children based on their needs. Beyond this, different governmental and non-governmental organizations offer resources and support to parents, which educate them and equip them with skills to cope with their emotions and behaviors to improve their mental health. Engaging with other parents in parenting groups and seeking help for mental health challenges can also help parents positively influence their children’s mental states.

The impact of a parent’s mental illness on a child is unpredictable and varied. The impacts vary from child to child depending on the conditions of parents, the effect of these conditions on parenting, the child’s responsiveness, and their response to the situation. Although poor parental mental health poses distinct environmental, biological, and psychosocial, risks to children, the impacts differ in their nature and severity, with some being affected more than others (Mental Health America). Therefore, a parent’s poor mental health does not automatically cause problems in the child’s life. The condition’s impact on parenting and familial relationships affects the child’s mental wellness. 

In conclusion, children depend on and look up to their parents right from conception through birth, early childhood, and adulthood. Therefore, the actions and state of parents directly impact the children. Factors such as the degree of stress in the family setup and the impact of symptoms on positive parenting determine the risk level for children. Because of their critical impact on children’s health and wellness, parents should focus on bettering their mental health to facilitate good parenting and creating a suitable and supportive environment for their children to thrive and grow into responsible adults.

Works Cited

Bradford, Angela, et al. “The Association between the Parent-Child Relationship and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: The Roles of Attachment and Perceived Spouse Attachment Behaviors.” Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 43.2 (2017): 291-307.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mental health of children and parents —a strong connection. n.d. 13 November 2022. <https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/mental-health-children-and-parents.html#:~:text=The%20mental%20health%20of%20children,support%20their%20children’s%20mental%20health.>.

Kamis, Christina. “The Long-Term Impact of Parental Mental Health on Children’s Distress Trajectories in Adulthood.” Society and Mental Health 11.1 (2021): 54-68. <https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869320912520>.

Mental Health America. Parenting with a Mental Health Condition. n.d. 13 November 2022. <https://www.mhanational.org/parenting-mental-health-condition>.

Ryan, Rachael, Christine O’Farrelly and Paul Ramchandani. “Parenting and child mental health.” London Journal of Primary Care (2017): 86-94. <https://doi.org/10.1080/17571472.2017.1361630>.

UNICEF. Mental health and well-being. n.d. 13 November 2022. <https://www.unicef.org/parenting/mental-health>.

Wolicki, Sara Beth, et al. “Mental Health of Parents and Primary Caregivers by Sex and Associated Child Health Indicators.” Adversity and Resilience Science (2021): 125-139.

World Health Organization. Nurturing care for early childhood development: a framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2018.

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5) A reflective essay. The essay needs to be 500-600 words. I want you to think of a difficult/challenging time in your life. Then, I want you to write a letter of advice to the younger version of yourself that was going through that. What would you tell them to help? So, say you went through a breakup or the death of someone close to you or trouble with a teacher or friend or an illness…any challenging time…The reflection essay will be you giving yourself advice on how to get through that time. “Dear Heather, I know you’re dealing with the death of your friend. The pain is strong now and you don’t understand what’s happening but things will get better. Just remember…” And then you’d go on for around 500-600 words. 

 

On this part just write something in regard to being a 28 year female currently and maybe something to her younger self. I will edit as/ if needed. Thanks