Children who have a loving relationship with their parents grow up to be kinder and more helpful to others, according to new research.
Key Highlights :
It is no secret that the relationship between parents and children has a lasting effect on the child’s development. A new study has found that children who have a close, loving relationship with their parents tend to be kinder and more helpful to others. The research, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development, found that those with strained or abusive relationships with their families are less likely to develop social traits such as empathy, generosity, kindness and helpfulness.
The study was based on questionnaires used as part of the Millennium Cohort Study, which has followed the progress of more than 10,000 people born in the U.K. between 2000 and 2002. Researchers measured prosocial skills through the answers to questions such as whether a child would be helpful if someone was hurt, while the parent-child relationship was assessed through responses to questions such as whether children openly shared their feelings with their parents.
The analysis found that a child’s ‘prosocial’ tendencies - socially-desirably behavior such as kindness, empathy, helpfulness, generosity and volunteering - varied according to the environment they grow up in. “A big influence appears to be our early relationship with our parents,” said Ioannis Katsantonis, lead author of the study. “As children, we internalize those aspects of our relationships with parents that are characterized by emotion, care and warmth,” he added. “This affects our future disposition to be kind and helpful towards others.”
The findings showed that a child’s closeness to their parents at the age of three is a good predictor of how kind they grow up to be. People who have a close bond with their parents tend to have fewer mental health problems during childhood and early adolescence. But those who have strained or abusive relationships with their families are less likely to develop social traits such as empathy, generosity, kindness and helpfulness.
The researchers suggest that efforts by schools to encourage prosocial behavior may be more effective if it is ingrained into the curriculum, rather than being part of time-limited interventions, such as anti-bullying weeks. The findings emphasize the importance of helping parents develop strong relationships with their children at an early age. “So much of this comes back to parents,” said Katsantonis. “How much they can spend time with their children and respond to their needs and emotions early in life matters enormously.”
Sparing sufficient time for children can be difficult for parents living in stressful circumstances, so policies that help ease this stress can enhance children’s mental health and develop skills such as helpfulness to others. It is clear that the parent-child relationship has a lasting effect on the child’s development and that it is important to foster a loving and supportive relationship between parent and child from an early age.
Title:
The Lasting Impact of Parent-Child Relationships: New Research Shows Loving Parents Create Kinder Children
