Quality of Life in Early Childhood: A Must-Know - Essay Sample

Introduction

The first three years of life have been highly prioritized since it is a crucial developmental stage where the child acquires important traits and cerebral plasticity. During this stage of development, the child undergoes great advancements in the motor, cognitive and social-emotional development (Babcock, 2014). They also advance in acquirement and control of language. The developments are essential for the child's universal development and learning. An investigation in the quality of life has experimented in the family health programs induced in society. In this scope, risk factors have been used for the detection and early follow-up of the group of individuals that are more susceptible to health illnesses. This is essential for care delivery according to the child's level of risk. Therefore the risk is considered as the highest possibility of an individual to suffer damages of their behavior and health in the future. To identify children at risk through a comprehensive approach begins with the investigation of the risk factors that contribute to childhood disorders, making them susceptible to deal with the developmental responsibilities in life. Risk can be from children themselves, family, or environmental factors. Factors coming from children themselves include temperature, biological components, and symptoms. Family risk factors include family dynamics and parents' history while environmental factors include socioeconomic level, cultural setting, and social support.

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On the other hand, protective factors are those that help them in protecting the child on risk susceptibilities and help to encourage resilience. These factors contribute to preventing the occurrence of vulnerabilities caused by the risks (Becker Cutts, et al., 2011). These factors include nurturing and development, knowledge of parenting, social connections, parental support, parental resilience, and social and emotional capability of children. Several types of research indicate that some children may develop along a standard course in spite of the presence of risk factors. Resilience in this study is used to refer the capacity to achieve developmental signs and avoid disorders in the circumstance of danger. The paper shall discuss social economic and family factors that expose children to risks and challenges in cognitive, social and motor development and learning. It shall also consider the protective factors that can be used to prevent children's vulnerability to family and socioeconomic factors that include financial security and the knowledge of parenting.

Children's Family and Environmental Risk and Protective Factors

Family and environmental risk factors are forms of vulnerabilities resulting from the family setting and the environment created in the household during the early stages of child development. These risk factors experienced by the child are beyond man control. However, the effects of the risks can be controlled. In doing this, children get opportunities to promote positive mental health (Cloney, Cleveland, Hattie & Tayler, 2015). Some of these factors include neglectful relationships, lack of adult supervision, family separation, conflict, forced immigration, social isolation, and socioeconomic status.

Improving family environmental protective factors reduces the vulnerability of children to environmental risks. A good environment as a result of acceptance, warmth and essential support required for learning and development makes it easier for children to learn and understand how to manage and express their emotions.it can also result to improved physical health. According to researchers, low income causes poor nutrition which leads to lack of proper nourishment, retarding physical and mental development. Providing financial security to children leads to improved learning and development as children get better nourishment which reduces their vulnerability to common viruses because they are properly nurtured. A good environment also allows children to develop positive mental health, skills, and wellbeing. For instance, they form the capability to react to stress, and they involve positive behavioral, social, and emotional development.

The environment shared by children with their friends, peers, parents, and early childhood services has an impact on their mental and physical development. For example, if the children live in an environment that is free from violence and stress, they are less likely to experience hardships during their development. Support from adults in such a situation is essential in ensuring positive learning (Younger, 2017). They include consistent supervision and care, and strong communication between adults and children. Adult support also helps to improve positive mental health. Research indicates that when children are brought up in a supportive environment that provides love, that is safe, and provides consistent care and supports either at home or during their childhood services, they develop a sense of trust which are crucial in child's mental health and physical development.

Social, Economic Factors

Before birth, everyone has a designated status level in society. Socioeconomic status (SES) is the social and financial levels of human beings in society. Children cost finances as they need food, clothes, toys, and other activities. A child SES dramatically depends on the parents in the early stage of development since they are responsible for the child. Parents' socioeconomic status determines the child's development in their perception of the world, the frequency and the amount of food taken by the child, health, and access to play areas, access to home and learning opportunities they experience out of home environment, exposure to air pollution, and how other community members view one. Theoretically, numerous courses of one's life are set by the events that occur during the age of 0-3 when the child is learning and developing an understanding of the immediate world (Toomela, 2002).

According to research done by a team of investigators in 2015 led by Elizabeth R. Sowell identified that there is an association between family income and the development of the brain structure. This study shows the connection between the difference in brain structure and family income which were most dramatic in lower-income households. The study included several developing children at the age of 3. Researchers found that higher levels of income and parental education were related to an increase in surface area of several parts of the brain. These parts included those that are responsible for language and decision-making forms. Higher income was linked with better performance of specific cognitive skills. However, the results are not bound that the socioeconomic status of the child determines the future; the research appreciates the fact that the brain is a plastic that can always reform itself.

Impacts of SES on Cognitive Development

Cognitive is the ability to think and comprehend different ideas, matters, and practices. The strength of an individual to understand more compound concepts is founded on exposure to more straightforward ideas in during early development of the child (Stanton-Chapman, Chapman, Kaiser & Hancock, 2004). The most appropriate way of getting exposed to the wide variability of ideas is by enrolling in good parental healthcare programs. These programs require a relatively higher amount of money. Therefore, they are mostly afforded by the people of a higher socioeconomic status.

Child's socioeconomic status influences both the language and cognitive abilities by what children learn from their parents. Majority of the words learned by a child originate from the parents. People of lower socioeconomic status are less educated than those of higher socioeconomic status. They may be unable to teach their children the ideas and matters that need a more critical thought (Ferguson, Cassells, MacAllister & Evans, 2013). They may also be unable to use words correctly to allow their children in the proper development of language. Children speak what their parents talk, and therefore, improper use of language may be adopted by their children.

Lower income socioeconomic status also influences the way children think. Children from this SES eat healthy food irregularly, while those from a high SES obtain healthy food more regularly. It is common that a hungry child concentrates on nothing else apart from eating. Lack of regular eating of healthy diet leads to malnutrition; in this condition, the brain does not acquire the nourishment it requires to operate optimally (Sims, Guilfoyle & Parry, 2006). Therefore, mental development is hindered by hunger or malnutrition as a result of the lack of regular consumption of healthy eating. Thus, socioeconomic status is a risk factor that affects early childhood development and perception of the world.

Impacts of SES on Emotional Development

Other than cognitive development, socioeconomic status has effects on the emotional development of children. Children growing in a family of low income are more likely to develop behavioral and emotional problems. This is as a result of the great stress that is caused by the struggling need of resources such as food, clothes and a favorable shelter. Parents undergoing such stresses may have altered interactions with their children which result in them getting stressed too.

The stress induced to the child by the parent is shown by grief and high levels of anxiety. Due to the young age of development, the child is unable to deal with these conditions, and they portray it through inappropriate behaviors. Parents of such a child may fail to recognize the problem associated with the acting out and take the child to a physician (Scharf, & Stroustrup, 2016). Instead, they punish the child leading to more frustrations and more emotional instability. As a result, it becomes more emotionally unstable rather than developing into an emotionally stable child.

Children learn the difference between them and others at the age of 2-3 years. They develop emotional complexity due to items they lack that are possessed by others. Due to the high requirement of finances demanded in the running of a household, the parents are unable to cater for all demands from their children. Lack of things like toys and other luxuries requested by children may trigger some emotions in their brains. Therefore, socioeconomic status causes some emotional stress to children who then affect their learning and development process.

Impacts of Socioeconomic Status on Social Emotional Development

According to researches done on social emotional development on children, socioeconomic status is found to cause a significant difference between how children from a high SES and those from a lower SES develop their emotions on the immediate society. Some may respond to this social emotion by crying, feeling anxious or developing hatred towards other children (Putnam, Sanson, & Rothbart, 2002). Children shows their hatred by fighting on items, parents may restrict them from interacting with such kids leading to negative social emotional development. Low income exposes to the vulnerabilities of antisocialism which affects the child's mental growth as children improve their mental abilities through interaction. Social emotion disorders are related to negative outcomes later in when the children each the age of schooling including behavioral problems, psychiatric problems, and negative social results such as less social acceptance and inability to form and maintain a quality friendship.

Protective Factors for SES

Financial Security

A p...