Free Reading Reflection/ Analytical Response To Readings Article Review Example

According to Elgar, Craig and Trites (2012), the family interactions provide parents with a chance for shaping positive health behaviors among their teenage children, which will enable them to express their feelings without hesitation. It is very important that the children in a family feel valued and loved through what their parents show them. One of these opportunities are the family dinners, which postulate family connectedness and communication (Elgar et al., 2012). This frequent gathering by family members enables the parents to monitor their children’s activity inside and outside their home. However, based on the results of the study by Elgar et al. (2012), the frequency of family dinners does not guarantee the healthy mental state of teenagers. However, they are positively related to emotional health, prosocial behavior and life satisfaction. They can also be attributed for the openness of communication between parents and children (Elgar, et al., 2012).
It should also be noted that family dinners are often transactional. This means that the parents may have the initiative to have dinner with their children but their children may choose to skip or avoid having meals with them. This destabilizes their first notion that family dinners are a good way of reaching out to their children. However, it is still important for parents to have a personal or private talk with their children since not everything can be discussed in the dining table.
What if parents are abusive that it affects their child mentally and emotionally or if they are too busy to notice that their child has a problem? The two reading materials discussed the effects of having parents who are abusive and are too oblivious of what is happening to their children.
Child abuse has been often associated to how a child’s personality is developed. In the study by Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima and Moylan (2008), child abuse and domestic violence co-occur, that is, if a husband or father is abusive, it more likely that both the mother and the children are being hurt by the father. The first factor of this child abuse and domestic violence is triggered in a home where substance abuse, poverty, and unemployment are present. The second factor is the parents’ unfulfilled dreams and ambitions, and third factor is the relationship of the household to the community (Herrenkohl et al., 2008).
These factors are common in a household where child abuse and domestic violence occur. These will bring adverse effects on the children, some of which include depression and anxiety aside from low self-esteem. The study by Herrenkohl et al. (2008) tackled the difference between boys and girls who experience abuse and witnesses domestic violence. Naturally, girls are more emotional and aloof when they experience child abuse and domestic violence. Boys, on the other hand, develop externalizing symptoms such as aggressiveness, impulsiveness, and defiance to other people or even towards their parent. However, there are also studies that support otherwise. In a study by Widom (as cited in Herrenkohl et al., 2008), the effect of domestic violence and child abuse on women is that they develop a higher risk of alcoholism than men. This is somehow a different view from men who oftentimes are drunkards.
Another potential effect of abuse is the non-suicidal self-harm by teenagers. Based on the study by Nixon, Cloutier and Jansson (2008), non-suicidal self-harm is defined as cutting, scratching, or burning of someone unconsciously. These may be brought about by family members who abuse substance. These lead to the child’s low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Just like the Herronkohl et al. study, females are more likely to engage in nonsuicidal self-harm than males. This is because they develop more internalizing symptoms such as depression and anxiety while boys develop externalizing symptoms such as defiance and aggressiveness. This means that unlike girls, boys have their way of venting out their feelings.
Parental monitoring and open communication between parents and children are imperative in developing one’s healthy mental stance. However, the presence of child abuse and domestic violence lead to serious psychosocial problems. If a woman is physically abused by her husband, it is always her choice to stand up for herself or to seek help to avoid child abuse. There will always be a probability that an abusive husband will be a violent father. Non-suicidal self-harm is just an example of these adverse effects from a vicious environment. It may lead to something grave in the long run if prevention and guidance from parents and some agencies are not sought.

References

Elgar, R., Craig, W., & Trites, S. (2012). Family dinner, communication, and mental health in
Canadian adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52, 433-438.
Herrenkohl, T., Sousa, C., Tajima, E. & Moylan, C. (2008). Intersection of child abuse and f
children’s exposure to domestic violence. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 9 (2), 84-99.
Nixcon, M. Cloutier, P., & Jansson, M. (2008). Nonsuicidal self-harm in youth: A population-
based study. Canadian Medical Association, 178 (3), 306-3012.