How Parents Fighting Affects a Child's Mental Health

No matter how healthy a couple's relationship is, some squabbles are definitely bound to happen. But mire frequent and serious arguments can definitely take a toll on the kids. 

Children feel the most secure with their parents but harsh parental arguments can negatively affect a baby who is as young as six months of age and adults as old as 19 years can be very sensitive to their parents arguments. 

How does fights effect children:

1. Kids are emotionally insecure. Children exposed to a lot of fighting may worry about divorce or wonder when one parent’s silent treatment is going to end. It can make it difficult for them to have a sense of normalcy in the family since fights may be unpredictable.
2. The parent-child relationship may be affected. 
3. Fighting creates a stressful environment. Overhearing frequent or intense fighting is stressful for kids. Stress can take a toll on their physical and psychological well-being and interfere with normal, healthy development.
4. Decreased cognitive performance: its been researched that kids who come from a house where parents fight a lot often have difficulty with their attention span and also fond it difficult to focus. Their ability to rapidly solve problems and quickly see patterns in new information also decreases.
5. Increased relationship problems: Being exposed to parents fighting increases the chances that kids will treat others with hostility. They may struggle to maintain healthy relationships when they’re older too.
6. Higher rates of behavior problems: Parental conflict has been linked to increased aggression, delinquency, and conduct problems in children. Additionally, children are more likely to have social problems and increased difficulty in adjusting to school.
7. Increased risk of eating disorders: Several studies have linked eating disorders, such as anorexia, to high parental discord.
8. Physical effects: A child might even have physical effects from the fighting, such as sleep problems, stomach aches or headaches.
9. Higher risk of academic problems: Other studies have found that living in a high conflict family increases the odds of dropping out of high school and getting poor grades.
10. A more negative outlook on life: Children who are raised in high-conflict homes are more likely to have negative views of their family relationships. They are also more likely to view themselves in a negative way. 

• When Does Fighting Become Problematic?
• Just because your fights don’t get physical doesn’t mean they aren’t harmful to your kids. It can be serious when :
• 1. Name-calling starts
  2. Insults
  3. Threats of abandonment (such as threatening to leave the house or divorce)
  4. Any form of physical aggression (including throwing things or punching things in anger)
  5. Walking out or withdrawing from the argument. 
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  7. You might take these steps to address the situation with your kids:
• • • Discuss the fight. 
    • Reassure the children that it was just an argument and not indicative of bigger problems. 
    • Finish it up by making sure the children understand that you’re still a strong family. 
    If you believe that your fights with your spouse or partner are harming your child’s mental well-being, consider seeing a therapist.There is no harm in talking to a third person who can discuss your issues without judging or becoming biased.
  • At the end of the day, what matters most is you love your family and you want to protect and stay connected.

  P. S - pic source : www.pixabay.com
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• Must read another wonderful post on parenting. 
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