By Registered Health Visitor – Julia Headland
I thought I would write a blog exploring stress and touching upon the correlation between parental stress and infant and child mental health as it is an area that has been widely researched in recent years.
Stress is a normal part of life, and we all encounter stress, but it is when that initial stress is not managed and becomes chronic stress, that it starts to impact on health and relationships.
It is fair to assume that the last couple of years have been and continue to be incredibly stressful for most of us; we have faced a pandemic and all that entailed and now a cost-of-living crisis, it is no wonder that so many people are suffering with long term stress. Stress at work is also a big problem, in fact, in 2021 an NHS staff survey found that 47% of staff reported feeling unwell because of work-related stress and that it was an 8% increase from that of 2017.
So, what is meant by the term stress?
UNICEF (2022) states that “Stress is a common feeling we get when we feel under pressure, overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Small amounts of stress can be good for us and motivate us to achieve goals like sitting an exam or giving a speech. But too much of it especially when it feels out of control, can negatively impact our mood, physical and mental well-being, and relationships.”
What happens to our body when we are stressed? The body’s autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate, breathing, vision changes and more. It is in-built stress response sometimes known as the ‘fight or flight ‘response helps the body face stressful situations. Unfortunately, when a person has long term stress that leads to chronic stress, this can cause physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms to develop.
Physical symptoms of stress:
• Chest pain or a feeling that your
heart is racing
• Exhaustion or trouble sleeping
• High blood pressure
• Muscle tension or jaw clenching
• Weakening immune system
• Stomach or digestive problems
• Headaches, dizziness, shaking, blurred vision
Stress can lead to emotional and mental symptoms such as:
• Difficulty concentrating
• Struggling to make decisions
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Constantly worrying
• Being forgetful
(NHS 2022)
And if these go untreated, this may lead to:
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sadness
• Panic attacks
So, what is the correlation between parental stress and infant/child mental health?
Research shows that parental stress is one of the key factors that effects a baby’s developing brain, and that parental stress increases the risk of adverse childhood experiences (Crouch et al, 2019).
Research also demonstrates links between early brain development and later life outcomes and has shown the importance of providing babies and infants with consistent positive and loving care.
If you have ever wondered why health visitors like me like to visit your family during pregnancy, one of the reasons is because there is evidence to suggest that babies whose mothers were depressed during pregnancy show heightened levels of the stress hormone cortisol when observed three months after birth. If we can see parents antenatally , we can get to know the families and if there are issues such as social isolation, stress relating to financial or relationship problems, existing mental health issues or even parents struggling with the pressure of impending parenthood, early intervention is key for improving health outcomes for both the child and parents and if we can help support families in this period, we can hopefully improve these outcomes.
By finding ways to manage their stress and emotions, parents can protect their children from the potentially harmful impacts of stress and therefore support the healthy development of their babies and toddlers.
Recognising that you are stressed. According to the mental health charity MIND (2022), sometimes, we may not be able to recognise the feelings of stress straight away so they have compiled a list of feelings that you may encounter if you are stressed, as follows:
• Irritability, angry, impatient, or wound up
• Overburdened or overwhelmed
• Anxious, nervous, or afraid
• Like your thoughts are racing and you cannot switch off
• Unable to enjoy yourself
• Depressed
• Uninterested in life
• Like you have lost your sense of humour
• A sense of dread
• Worried or tense
• Neglected or lonely
• Existing mental health problems getting worse.
NHS (2022) 5 Tips to mental wellbeing
Evidence suggests that there are five steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing, these include:
- Connect with other people as good relationships are important for mental wellbeing. They can help you build a sense of belonging and self-worth, give you the opportunity to share positive experiences, provide emotional support, and allow you to support others.
- Be physically active as this is great for your physical health and wellbeing by raising your self-esteem. Helping you set goals or challenges and achieve them causes chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood.
- Learn new skills as this boosts self-confidence and raises self-esteem, helping you to build a sense of purpose and helping you connect with others.
- Give to others as research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your own mental wellbeing by creating positive feelings and a sense of reward and giving you a sense of feeling of purpose and self-worth.
- Mindfulness, which is paying attention to the present moment. When we become more aware of the present moment, we begin to experience and enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better. Mindfulness also allows us to become more aware of the streams of thoughts and feelings we experience and allows us to start to see the patterns. The idea is that we can gradually train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply ‘mental events’ that do not have to control us. (NHS 2022)
Of course, if you are suffering with stress and it is adversely affecting your health, help is available.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or self- harm, you should go to Accident and Emergency at a hospital.
If you are not able to speak with your local mental health team or need help with your mental health (but it is not an emergency), you can contact NHS 111 service.
There are also national organisations such as those listed below if you just need someone to talk through how you are feeling. These are confidential and are staffed by trained volunteers.
• Samaritans 116 123
• SHOUT 85258
• HOPELINEUK 0800 068 4141
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For those people I have not yet met, my name is Julia Headland and I am a registered health visitor and registered general nurse with a degree in public health and over 20 years of experience. I am very pleased to work alongside the Norfolk House Nursery team.
You can arrange to meet me for confidential advice or guidance about your child’s health or development; during the pandemic these consultations are being conducted by Zoom or telephone.
My consultations are free of charge and they are confidential.
You can book an appointment with me via the Norfolk House Nursery staff.
You can also follow me on social media:
Facebook: @JuliaHeadlandPrivateHealthVisitor
Instagram: jh_privatehealthvisitor