General Information

Description

Based on a 2008 study, a child psychiatrist discusses the negative health effects seen in children who have

parents under stress. This report also offers some potential remedies.

Keywords

Stress Family, Parents, Children, Personal Life, Work, Illness, Sicknesses, Febrile, Immune System,

Effect, Hypothalamus, Pituitary, High Blood Pressure, Weight Gain, Insomnia, Psychological Disorders,

Physical Symptoms, Counsel, Therapy, Coping, Meditation, Excercise, New York University School of

Medicine's Child Studies Center, University of Rochester Medical School, Manifest

Citation

MLA

Stressed Out Parents: How It Affects Your Childrenhttps://preview-archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=32277

Source: NBC Today Show Resource Type: Video News ReportCreator: Matt Lauer Copyright: NBCUniversal Media,

LLC.Event Date: 03/20/2008 Copyright Date: 03/20/2008Air/Publish Date: 03/20/2008 Clip Length 00:03:52

Page 1 of 4© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

"Stressed Out Parents: How It Affects Your Children." Matt Lauer, correspondent. NBC Today Show.

NBCUniversal Media. 20 Mar. 2008. NBC Learn. Web. 4 February 2015

APA

Lauer, M. (Reporter). 2008, March 20. Stressed Out Parents: How It Affects Your Children. [Television

series episode]. NBC Today Show. Retrieved from https://preview-archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-

12/browse/?cuecard=32277

CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE

"Stressed Out Parents: How It Affects Your Children" NBC Today Show, New York, NY: NBC

Universal, 03/20/2008. Accessed Wed Feb 4 2015 from NBC Learn: https://preview-

archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=32277

Transcript

Stressed Out Parents: How It Affects Your Children

MATT LAUER, co-host:

And this morning on TODAY'S HEALTH, are you stressed out? Researchers at the University of

Rochester Medical School say you may be making your children sick if you're stressed out. Dr. Melvin

Oatis is a psychiatrist at the New York University School of Medicine's Child Studies Center.

Dr. Oatis, good morning. Nice to see you.

Dr. MELVIN OATIS (Child Psychiatrist, New York University): Good morning.

LAUER: Let's talk about this study. Basically, what did it find? Give me the crib notes.

Dr. OATIS: Well, from this study, you looked at families and looked at parents, and what it noticed is that

parents that were under a great deal of stress reported more symptoms of illness in their children. They

had more febrile illnesses. There was an increased frequency of illness in their children if there was more

stress in the family.

LAUER: Connect the dots for me, because I understand if I'm under stress, I know how it impacts my

immune system, and therefore I understand if I have more illnesses. But how does it jump to my children?

Dr. OATIS: Well, it's just one study, but in thinking about this, it's very complex. Our whole body is

trying to regulate itself, be our--be it our hypothalamus and our pituitary system. The systems are

secreting one hormone and another thing and it's--and it's causing a wonderful balance that goes on in our

body. So if stress is impacting upon us, certain enzymes are being secreted, certain hormones are being

secreted and so that impacts us. And now we're in a home and we're working with people that are around

us. We're impacting upon our children. We're having interactions...

LAUER: So it's a like a domino effect, basically?

TEXT:

Stress and Your Health

One-third of Americans are living with extreme stress

Page 2 of 4© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Money and work are the leading causes of stress

Half of Americans cite rent or mortgage costs as sources of stress

Stress can lead to high blood pressure and weight gain

Stress can lead to insomnia and psychological problems

Dr. OATIS: It is an--it is an impact upon him. Think about it. Your parent looked at you in a certain way

and you understood what was going on with them. Now it's the cadence of their voice, it's how they look,

it's what they're saying and you know that something is going on. You may not know that it's stress, but

you know that something is impacting your parent and therefore it's impacting that child.

LAUER: Now, here's the vicious cycle part of this, though. Parents are going to hear this, they're already

under stress, they're going to start to feel guilty that they're making their kids sick and now they're going

to feel more stress on top of that and so on and so on. What's the advice for parents?

Dr. OATIS: That is not the message here. The message here is recognizing that we are all under stress and

that we must manage the stress. That's the important key here, not to go away and take home that you're

going to make your child sick, but that you can manage the stress that's going on with you so you can help

your child to remain healthy.

LAUER: Let's just briefly talk about some of the ways that stress can impact our health. Obvious ways

like blood pressure, things like that. Is that the same in children?

TEXT:

Stress and Your Health

77% of Americans experience physical symptoms due to stress

73% of Americans experience psychological symptoms with stress

Dr. OATIS: Well, in children it's a longer time to impact upon them. So in adults, yeah, high blood

pressure, obesity, things of this nature, anxiety, depression, things that happen because of stress. So in

children, the manifestation may be different. The child is not going to tell you `I'm stressed,' depending

upon their age, but they may give you general complaints where they're saying things like `I just don't feel

well,' or they may have less activity or they may be expressing more anger or more over activity.

TEXT:

How Does Our Stress Manifest in Kids?

May become withdrawn 

Have low energy level 

Complain of physical symptoms 

Show signs of anger

LAUER: But now, we can't shield our kids from stress. So I think one of your main messages, and I like

this, is this may be as good a time as any to teach your kid the lesson of how to deal with stress.

Dr. OATIS: Absolutely. Teach the children how to manage stress, and you show that by mirroring it.

You're managing things that are occurring in your life and you're helping them to manage the things

happening in their lives. We've all had our parents, where we've seen them go through life and do a

number of things almost effortlessly, but then there are other times where we saw them having a little

more--a little more trouble managing those things. So we show them how we manage our lives and

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likewise, we can teach our children how to manage things that are happening in their lives so that they

don't have to be impacted negatively by stress.

TEXT:

Stress and Your Health

Nearly half of Americans say stress has a negative impact on personal life.

LAUER: And the best suggestion for people who are under a lot of stress and cannot get it out of their

lives, because A, they have a tough job or a tough family situation, is to do what? What's the best way to

deal with it?

Dr. OATIS: Well, the first thing you have to do is recognize that you have it and how are you coping with

it. And so bring to bear whatever your coping skills are, be it exercise, be it meditation. And if you're not

having success with those things, you might need to seek outside counsel or help in managing your stress.

TEXT:

Manage Stress For Your Children

Identify the source

Learn how you can alleviate it

Bring in your coping skills

Teach coping skills to children

LAUER: But no matter what, the study shows us just once again that stress has a dramatic impact on not

only our lives, but the lives of people around us. Dr. Melvin Oatis, thanks very much.

Dr. OATIS: Thanks for having me.

Page 4 of 4© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.