Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Although all of the stressors can have an major impact on a child's development,I chose the stressor, violence. One of my best friends, Miracle, parents were in a very violent relationship. Her dad used to beat on her mother almost every night. If you were on the outside looking in, you would've thought they were the perfect family. One day Miracle came to school with a bruise on her face. The teacher asked, what happened to her face and the tears begin to fall. The teacher then, called the guidance counselor to the classroom and they took her to the principal office. I started to get worried, when I seen her sitting the office with her mom. After that day, Miracle didn't come to school for a week. I called her everyday, but I never got an answer. About a month later, she contacted me and told me that she and her mom had moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I was so excited to hear from her. I finally asked her, why did she move. That's when she told me her dad used to beat on her mom and sometimes he would hit on her to. After she told the story, I started to think that's one of the reasons why, she was making the grades she was making. Miracle used to make first honor roll every nine weeks and all of a sudden, she started making C's and sometimes D's on her report card. I should've known something was going on with her. Miracle and her mom was so excited to get away from that situation. 

One country that I would like to learn more about is India. I love to learn about the third world countries. We seem to sometimes look at those countries as poor countries in the world. But they're so much more than that. One stressor that I chose that affects a child's development in India is malnutrition. In India, child malnutrition is responsible for 22% of the country's burden of disease. Levels of malnutrition have declined modestly, with the prevalence of underweight among children under three falling by 11% between 1992/93 and 1998/99. Although, levels of under-nutrition in India declined modestly during the 1990s, the reductions lagged far behind that achieved by other countries with similar economic growth rates.Under-nutrition, both protein-energy malnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies, directly affects many aspects of children's development. In particular, it retards their physical and cognitive growth and increases susceptibility to infection and disease, further increasing the probability of being malnourished. Under-nutrition also affects cognitive and motor development and undermines educational attainment; and ultimately impacts on productivity at work and at home, with adverse implications for income and economic growth. Micro-nutrient deficiencies alone may cost India US$2.5 billion annually (Gragnolati, Sheka, Gupta, Bredenkamp, Lee, 2013).

. Gragnolati M, Shekar M, Gupta MD, Bredenkamp C, Lee Y. India's Undernourished Children: A Call for Reform and Action. [Last accessed on 2013 Feb 12]. Available from: http//www.worldbank.org/hnppublications .