Parenting styles that included physical discipline and overcontrolling behavior, referred to as "hostile" parenting, were found to nearly double the risk for their children to develop mental health symptoms, according to a new study.
The study, published Thursday in the medical journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, followed over 7,500 children in Ireland from 9 months old until they were up to 9 years old.
Children who were exposed to hostile parenting at age 3 were 1 1/2 times more likely to have high-risk mental health symptoms and 1.6 times more likely to have mild-risk mental health symptoms by age 9.
"Our findings suggest that hostile parenting should be avoided as much as possible in early childhood if we want to prevent children from developing increased mental health symptoms," said lead author Dr. Ioannis Katsantonis, a doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge. "We found that children in the high-risk class had parents with greater stress and greater likelihood of ongoing physical and mental health problems. These parents might need additional support and resources to address their own needs and enhance their parenting skills."
Lead co-author Dr. Jennifer Symonds, an associate professor at the University College Dublin, reiterated the need for parental support to promote mental well-being in children.
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