Neglect 'leaves a physical mark'
Children neglected in their early years are left with physical as well as psychological marks, research suggests.
Lack of a loving caregiver directly affects the body's production of hormones thought to be important for forming social bonds, a US team found.
Children raised in orphanages had lower levels of vasopressin and oxytocin than others, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.
This was despite the children later being placed with stable families.
Physical effect
This suggests the effects may be lasting to some extent, the University of Wisconsin-Madison authors said.
They believe failure to receive typical care as a child can disrupt normal development of these hormonal systems which, in turn, can interfere with the calming and comforting effects that typically emerge between children and their caregivers.
Compared with the control group, the 18 four-year-old children raised in orphanages showed lower levels of vasopressin in their urine.
Researchers believe this hormone is essential for recognising individuals in a familiar social environment.
This provides a very powerful approach to look at the way upbringing and domestic circumstances can effect the way children grow up
Dr David Jessop of Bristol University
During an experiment, the children were asked to sit on the laps of either their mother (or adopted mother) or an unfamiliar woman and play an interactive computer game.
The game directed the children to engage in various types of physical contact with the adult they were sitting with, such as whispering or tickling each other and patting each other on the head.
This type of interaction between a child and his or her mother should normally cause a rise in oxytocin. This was seen in the family-raised children, but orphanage-raised children did not display the same response.
Lead researcher Dr Seth Pollak said: "It's extremely important that people don't think this work implies that these children are somehow permanently delayed.
"All we are saying is that, in the case of some social problems, here is a window into understanding the biological basis for why they happen and how we might design treatment."
The researchers added: "The present data provide a potential explanation for how the nature and quality of children's environments shape the brain-behavioural systems underlying complex human emotions."
Dr Julie Turner-Cobb, of Bath University, and Dr David Jessop, at Bristol University, recently carried out research showing children can be stressed out by their own mothers' emotional exhaustion.
Childcare helped to reduce stress (measured by a hormone present in saliva) among children whose working mothers are in jobs with low satisfaction.
Dr Jessop said: "Although there has been a lot of psychosocial work in the past, we are now bringing into play hormonal data.
"So we really have two weapons in our armoury. This provides a very powerful approach to look at the way upbringing and domestic circumstances can affect the way children grow up."
He said larger studies over a longer period of time were needed to determine whether children are stressed by their circumstances and whether introducing more social support would help buffer this.
OK,
Vasopressin = ADH (anti diuretic hormone)
It regulates the ''water'' in our systems (osmilality), thus more or less controlling our blood pressure, or acting as a vasodilator, or constrictor. But there are way too many other things to take into account such as sodium intake, renal function, or the BNP (Brain Natriuretic Peptide) all these things affect vasopressin production.
Oxytocin,
A male has as much use of oxytocin, as a female has of testosterone, THE ONLY TIME that these levels fluctuate in a matter that is at all significant, is before, during, and after childbirth. For those of you that are familiar with the drug pitocin, it is the same thing as oxytocin, only a synthetic form. It triggers contractions, there is nothing that would cause it to fluctuate in children whatsoever!, so this study,,,…. Hmmmmm I am not sure what they are trying to prove.
תוקן על ידי - bflat - 24/11/2005 2:20:11
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 02:06
90, אפשר עפענסטו אויף א נייע אשכול וועגן אלע דיינע טייפען פראבלעמען. אזוי וועט זיך די גאנצע עולם אנרופען. דא זעהן עס נאר אפאר געציילטע. אויך פארמישטו די גאנצע שמיס.
It does not help me mucu.
Only if I continue typing in the same line , like now
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 01:56
Thus you have to read the article to draw conclusions. Besides although there may be many other variables which contribute to elevated or decreased hormone levels, if two variables are present, (e.g. in our study Vasopressin, Oxytocin and neglect) they are still scientifically correlated.
Just keep in mind that, generally speaking, correlation does not imply causation.
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 01:50
In other words, infants that are neglected, have high blood preasure?
it just does not make any sense! are there any other physical symptoms, besides a fluctuating hormonial
balance ( which is NORMAL!) to support this theory?,
hey listen a study is a study, all I am saying is that there are way too many factors involved!
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 01:45
BFLAT:
Good point. However, don't get overly excited. First you have to see the article's section on limitations; if this issue is not addressed, then you "might" be on to something.
Till then, hold your assumptions please.
Here is a link to another article abstract that also addresses the Vasopressin, Oxytocin – neglect correlation. Although I have not read the entire article, it seems the author also stresses causation, not only correlation.
The quantity and quality of maternal care received during infancy determines adult social competence, ability to cope with stress, aggressiveness, and even preference for addictive substances. Indeed, the development of neurochemical systems within the brain that regulate mothering, aggression, and other types of social behavior, such as the oxytocin and vasopressin systems, are strongly affected by parental nurturing received during infancy.
תוקן על ידי - Kutchma - 24/11/2005 1:48:02
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 01:42
דשזיד טייערע, איך וויל מיך פארמיידן פין לאנגע וויכוחים, האסט אבער געמאכט א סטעיטמענט וואס איז אינגאנצען נישט אויסגעהאלטן. וואס איז די פארגלייך צווישן די שטודיע אין געיז? (שוין ווער איך אריינגעשלעפט!)
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 01:42
Jid,
it is not a corralation, the elevated levels could be due to diet, there are way to many factors that would affect a hormone level, especially one that is as volitile as those two, had the study stated that there was a significant difference in a TSH blood test, or T3, or even T4, I might agree with it.
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 01:36
bflat
זייט נישט פלאך, לויט ווי אזוי ס'איז באריכטעט געווארען, איז גאנץ קלאר דער corrolation. זיי דארפען נישט מער ווי מעסטען דער לעוועל פון דער יתומים, קעגען די אנדערע קינדער, אפילו נאך זיי זענען שוין געווארען אריין געלייגט אין געהעריגע משפחה סעטינגס.
וזה לשונם:
This was despite the children later being placed with stable families.
און טאקע נאר צוליב דעם, איז דער השערה:
This suggests the effects may be lasting to some extent, the University of Wisconsin-Madison authors said.
--------------------------------
לעצם הענין, פארשטיי איך נאך נישט דער צד פון באטשי.
אשיחה וארווח לי.
דער סטאדי פון תחלת האשכול, ווייזט אז פעולות פון עלטערען אין תחילת ימי גידולו פון א קינד, זענען משפיע בגשמיות אויף דער מענטש, און ס'קען זיין א גורם צו געוויסע מצבים בנפש וואס דער מענטש קען האבען יארען שפעטער.
צו דאס איז אמת צו נישט, ווענדט זיך אין די ערליכקייט פון די חוקרים.
לדעתי, איז דער סטאדי, א סתירה צו וואס די געי קאמיוניטי טענה'ט בנוגע זייער בחירה. וכמו שאבאר. (און דערפאר וואלט איך געזאגט, אז דער חוקרים וואלטען געדארפט האבען א נגיעה צו זאגען פארקערט ווי דעם.)
ווייל אויב איז דאס אמת, אז מיט צוגעוואינען דער מענטש אין די אינגע יארען צו זיין פריילעך - לדוגמא, וועט איהם זיין לייכטער צו זיין פריילעך צען יאר שפעטער, איז דאך פשט, אז א מענטש איז ביכולת זיך מחנך זיין 100%! אויף וואס ער וויל! ווייל אפילו הרגשים וואס א דאקטאר קען דיר אהנמעסטען אין א בלאד טעסט, קען ער אויף טוישען מיט נפש'דיגע פעולות. אהן מעדעצין. ודוק.
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 00:28
Wow! This forum is starting to resemble a psych 101 class!
Lets get back to the Biology of the article for a moment, OK?
Vasopressin, Oxytocin,…… this study is full of bologna!,
Both are vital hormones, but there are millions of things that could affect the production of any hormone, not just these two.
Who says that there is a correlation between the neglect, and the imbalance of hormones?
נשלח ב-24/11/2005 00:02
לאמיר איבערלאזן די געי קאמיוניטי אויף א צווייטן מאל. מ'קען דערפין מאכן א אייגענער לענג'ס אין א ברייט'ס. איך האב עס נאר ארויף געברענגט צו מאכן א נקודה. לאמיר לאזן דעם אשכול צו די אנדערע נושאים, אויב מעגליך.
דערפאר וועל איך דיך נישט ענטפערן דערויף אויף די מינוט, ועוד חזון.
נשלח ב-23/11/2005 23:58
פיינע נקודות געבראכט, אבער פארט נישט גע'ענטפערט די שאלה.
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