Warmth and affection from parents in early childhood can have lifelong physical and mental health benefits.<\/p>\n
Research published in JAMA Psychiatry found that children who experience greater maternal warmth at the age of three have better positive perceptions of social safety by the age of 14 which the leads to better physical and mental health outcomes at age 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the first results we know of showing that maternal warmth can affect the health and wellbeing of kids years later by influencing how they think about the social world,\u201d Dr. George Slavich, senior author of the study and Director of the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA said in a press statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a powerful message, because although early-life circumstances are not always easy to change, we can help youth view others and their future in a more positive light.\u201d<\/p>\n
In undertaking their study, the researchers examined data from more than 8500 children assessed as part of the Millennium Cohort Study in the UK.<\/p>\n
Evaluators visited the homes of the children in the study at the age of three and assessed the warmth of their mothers as well as the harshness of their mothers.<\/p>\n
By the age of 14, the social safety schema of the children were measured by asking them questions about whether they had friends or family who made them feel happy, secure and safe.<\/p>\n
Th social safety schema is the lens through which a person views every social interaction they have.<\/p>\n
At age 17, the children reported their overall psychiatric and physical health problem as well as their degree of psychological distress.<\/p>\n
The researchers determined that the children who had mothers who displayed more maternal warmth in their early childhood saw the world as more socially safe by age 14 and had fewer health problems by the age 17.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study\u2019s findings\u2014that maternal warmth in a child\u2019s early life is associated with a more positive sense of social safety in teen years\u2014ring very true from my professional experience. In working with children, teens, and adults, I\u2019ve found that individuals who experienced more warmth and attunement from their early caregivers tend to\u00a0internalize\u00a0<\/em>a sense of safety that is carried into adulthood,\u201d Dr Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist based in California told Theravive.<\/p>\n \u201cThis study\u2019s findings harmonize beautifully with attachment theory, one of the most well-researched modalities. In attachment theory, caregivers who are warm, loving, and well-attuned to their child\u2019s needs provide their child with a sense of \u201csecure attachment\u201d that allows them to feel safe and trusting in social settings and intimate relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n In the study, maternal warmth was considered as a positive tone of voice, acts of affection and more praise.<\/p>\n Manly argues that maternal warmth can also vary depending on the needs of a child.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom my framework, \u201cwarm\u201d or affection parenting takes\u2014first and foremost\u2014attunement to the child\u2019s disposition and needs. What might be felt as appropriately effective to one child may be experienced by another child as cloying or overly distant. So, the \u201cideal\u201d warm or affectionate parent tunes into the child\u2019s needs for comfort and attention and then strives to meet those needs in ways that the child can appreciate and absorb. Mothers (and fathers) who notice what soothes and brings joy to their infant and take care to appropriately offer more of the soothing and joyful behaviors are showing their baby attuned, loving warmth and affection,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs the child grows, parents who continue this process create an environment that allows the child to feel seen, loved, and internally safe. Then, as the child moves into the greater world, that child tends to feel safe and comfortable in social situations\u00a0because\u00a0<\/em>this sense of safety was instilled from early life forward. This doesn\u2019t mean that a parent needs to be warm and affectionate 100% of the time. It means that parents who are\u00a0overarchingly\u00a0<\/em>well-attuned to their child\u2019s needs in warm, kind ways will tend to give their child a healthy foundation of love and safety that they will carry with them into their teen years and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never too late to learn how to attune to your child\u2019s needs for affection and warmth,\u201d Manly added.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially for those whose parents didn\u2019t model warm, affectionate behavior, the learning curve can be a bit challenging\u2014but it\u2019s worth the effort!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n