Research Paper on Family-Stress Model

Family stress is a major consequence that can affect how children develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Stress within a home can cause both family strain and disturb the parenting styles (Masarik & Conger, 2017). If the parenting styles are changed or disturbed this could cause a threat to the mental wellbeing and health of the child. The Family-Stress Model was developed to explain how these stresses impact the development of the children. This model states that any risk factor such as poverty, divorce, single parenthood, and unemployment can hurt a family if the risk factor increases the stress of the parent (Masarik & Conger, 2017). The increase of stress in the parent can cause the parent to become less patient with the child and be less responsive to the children (Masarik & Conger, 2017). Research has shown that parents who are under a lot of stress are more at risk for depression, anxiety, frustration, and anger. All of these emotions are tied to parenting styles that are less nurturing, sensitive, and responsive (Aber et al. 2000; Magnuson & Duncan 2002; McLeod & Shanahan 1993; McLoyd 1998; Petterson & Albers 2001).

The main focuses of the family-stress model are the functional aspects of the families and economic stressors, which include both acute and chronic stressors. There are five sequential steps to this model which include: economic hardship, economic pressures, parent psychological distress, disrupted parenting, and child and adolescent adjustment problems. If a family experiences an economic hardship then there is likely to be more economic pressure on the parents. The parents are then experiencing high psychological distress that leads to an impact on the parenting skills which could cause the child to develop negatively.

There are several socio-emotional factors that children growing up in low-income families are more likely to experience throughout their development compared to children who are raised in middle and upper-class families. These factors include insecure attachment relationships, psychosocial morbidity, behavior problems, reduced social competence, lower levels of self-regulation, and elevated physiological markers of stress (Barnett, 2008). The children are more at risk to experience these factors because of the parenting style of the parent. There are four types of parenting styles which include authoritarian, permissive, authoritative, and neglectful parenting. Children raised by low-income families tend to have parents who have a negative parenting style which would include the permissive and neglectful styles. These negative parenting styles consist of the parents being corrosive, harsh, or unresponsive (Barnett, 2008). 

As a child, I experienced firsthand the results of low income in a family and how it affects the development of children. Neither of my parents graduated high school and both had jobs that did not produce enough income to provide for basic necessities. The lack of money caused us to live in many different households over a short period. Moving constantly created a very unstable environment for me to grow up in which could have caused many negative impacts on my development. Fighting between my parents also became a huge part of my day-to-day life. A lot of this conflict was due to the lack of income and my father having to go truck driving to provide money for my family. For example, my father came home from a trip one night and my mom was outraged when he walked in. He had been gone for a week and the first thing they did was start fighting. The fight became so intense that my parents were throwing hot food in the kitchen. At this point, I was a four-year-old hiding behind the couch very emotionally distraught from watching these events occur before me. All of this stress built up over time and caused my parents to get divorced when I was only 5 years old. The family-stress model explains how the economic stressors added psychological stress to my parents' lives. Since my parents were stressed about money and conflict between themselves, I was left to entertain and take care of myself on many occasions. 

As a child, I also experienced behavioral problems to try to receive the attention from my parents that I was lacking. The first time I behaviorally acted out was right after my parents got divorced. When I was five years old, I remember my parents were very absent so I decided to bite a kid in the cafeteria. Another significant time I remember acting out was when I was 9 years old. This was the first time I snuck out of the house. I did not do this for any personal enjoyment but instead to attempt to get the attention of my permissive mother and my absent father. Behavioral problems are a huge aspect of child development that can derive from economic problems in a home. Therefore, the Family-Stress Model elaborates on the fact that economic problems can lead to developmental issues within children and adolescents. 

Another socioemotional risk factor that I have developed in life is an insecure attachment in relationships. Insecure attachment is more prevalent in children who have experienced poverty. This attachment style occurs when the individual does not connect with other people because of uncertainty or fear. As a child, I developed an insecure attachment for several reasons including neglect from parents, income and marriage stress, and having a father with a drug/alcohol addiction. I took on a more independent role growing up, such as caring for my siblings when my mother was not able to. The independence has stuck with me until adulthood. I do not depend on my mother for help or call her as much as other college peers do. I believe that some childhood experiences damaged the attachment that should have developed between my mother and me.

After my parents separated when I was five years old, the stress my mom was dealing with only increased. There was more of a financial struggle to take care of me and my two siblings. These stressors lead to my mom entering a depressed state. This state-led to more aggressive outbursts in punishment and she was always frustrated with us. The family-stress model is even more evident in this situation because my mom was put under more economic stress which increased the psychological stressors and then caused an impact on my development as a child. My mother being a single parent is also an interesting aspect of my development because research shows that the structure of our home was not as functional as a two-parent household because there is less income, stability, and time for the child. 

There is an ethical issue that is present when it comes to my parents getting divorced. The ethical issue that is present is the harm that the separation had on the children. The parents have the ability to use the childrens as pawns to try to obtain something they want from the other parent. The utilization of the children to better the parent is wrong because it devalues the child. An example of this in my life occurred when my father tried to keep us in Georgia, away from my mom in Wyoming, unitil she dropped the child support. These actions are very detrimental to a child's development. The love and security that is supposed to be presented by families is absent. Therefore, the child will likely develop socioemotional risk factors that are different from children raised in a more loving and secure environment.

The argument presented above may present limitations during a national disaster. The stress in the household could be due to the natural disaster events that occurred instead of the economic stress. Research suggests that child and adult psychological distress increases more with individuals that have experienced trauma, like a natural disaster, compared to individuals who have not experienced trauma (Scaramella et al., 2008). It is very common for individuals to become depressed after a national disaster takes place.When trauma is experienced the children are more likely to be affected by the depressed mood of the parents compared to the economic hardships placed on the family. If this was the case then the family-stress model could not be used but another model would need to be used instead to explain the natural disasters effect on the child's development. 

Overall, the family-stress model can explain many of the developmental aspects of my childhood. The low income experienced by both my parents affected the stress that was in our lives. This stress was seen in both the discord my parents shared and their marriage ending in a divorce. The economic stressors also played a huge psychological role in my parents' life. They both seemed easily agitated and more aggressive towards me as a child. These experiences only increased after my parents were divorced. Therefore, economic stress and the type of household a child grows up in plays a vital role in their developmental process.