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Psychological testing for children: What it is and what to expect

Psychological testing for children: What it is and what to expect

Parenting is an incredible journey filled with growth and transformation for both children and caregivers. As children progress through various developmental stages, it’s natural to witness changes in their behaviour and abilities. However, some challenges may arise, leaving parents concerned and seeking support. In such situations, psychological testing emerges as a valuable resource, offering parents insights into their child’s development and paving the way for tailored assistance.

In the article, “Psychological testing for children: What it is and what to expect,” written by Honeykid’s Esther Chung, we embark on a journey of understanding the significance of psychological testing and how it can positively impact children and families. Expert insights from Educational and clinical psychologists, Tan Su-Lynn and S. C. Anbarasu respectively, will illuminate the purpose and process of psychological testing. As caregivers, being well-informed about this process will empower us to provide the best support and nurture the full potential of our beloved children. So, let’s delve into the warmth and professionalism of psychological testing to embrace its benefits fully.

Follow this link to read the full article: https://honeykidsasia.com/psychological-testing-for-children/

Too much OCD or ADHD medication for kids?

Too much OCD or ADHD medication for kids?

Are children being over-medicated for mental health issues? We spoke to DR ADRIAN LOH, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare, who explained how doctors balance the use of drugs like or ODC or ADHD medication for kids with a duty of care in diagnostics and treatment.

Dr Loh’s general observation around healthcare in Singapore is that both parents and doctors remain cautious in the use of medication in children and adolescents being treated for mental health issues.

Yet, while it’s appropriate to exercise due diligence before starting medication – especially in view of possible side effects – there is a flip side when they’re withheld without good reason.

adhd medication for kids

“This may be due to insufficient understanding of the medication,” says Dr Loh. “There may be unfounded fear of ‘addiction’ or concerns about costs of treatment, for example, or it could be because of the persistent underlying social and cultural stigma around mental illness.”

What to take into account when considering medication

The decision to use medication, he says, should be a carefully considered one, taking into account a few key areas.

  1. In making a diagnosis, a good practitioner should also identify relevant factors that influence a child’s mental health condition, including their age and education level, the presence of other medical conditions, underlying temperament and personality traits, family and interpersonal relationships, as well as socio-cultural norms.
  2. There should be an assessment of the severity of the child’s symptoms and the level of distress caused to the child – and in some cases, to those around him.
  3. The practitioner should be able to confidently assess the impact of the condition across different areas of the child’s life.

For parents, stress around children’s mental health can be significant. For many of us, the tendency is to observe a child for signs of mental distress, but then wait to act. When we finally cannot intervene to help anymore as the child becomes a teen and even more inaccessible, we then realise it’s time to get professional help from therapists and psychiatrists.

From there, it can be an extended journey, according to Dr Loh. A patient may need months of therapy to unpack and get to the root of their fears, mood swings or erratic behaviour. Depending on the considerations mentioned earlier, the doctor will consider the use of medication to try to alleviate some of their symptoms at a suitable juncture.

“For example, a child could be diagnosed with mild ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), but if there is a significant impact on their friendships or their ability to cope with schoolwork, and if other attempts at helping, such as classroom management, have been unsuccessful, it may be timely to introduce the use of ADHD medication for kids.”

adhd medication for kids ocd

Patient and parent responses

Dr Loh also notes that not all medication is going to “work” the way we want it to. Every patient responds to therapeutic drugs in a different way. “Some drugs that are used to treat mental health conditions may not have the intended effect and the doctor may then have to cycle through several different types to land on the right one. This can be distressing for the patient as well as parents, who can feel that the child is ‘over-medicated’.”

It’s a conundrum that requires patience from all involved, as not trying medication altogether may cause more harm, he says.

“Another illustrative case is with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). This is a condition that local and international studies have shown to be often characterised by a prolonged duration of untreated illness, extending even past a decade for some individuals. In many of the young people I’ve treated, my personal experience is that it would have been beneficial for them to have been started on medication much earlier in the course of their illness.”

At the same time, there are some instances where antidepressants may not be the most helpful solution. “Inappropriate use of medication is another valid concern,” says Dr Loh. “One example would be to ignore the underlying factors contributing to a child’s depressive symptoms. These could include unresolved grief after a death in the family, or feelings of helplessness or guilt about parents’ marital conflicts. In these situations, it’s wise not to offer antidepressants as a cure-all. Instead, offer counselling or other forms of therapies alongside the judicious use of medication to help the child in a holistic manner.”

In instances where parents describe “over-medication”, Dr Loh says that it could be possible that some children may have been offered medication without considering other alternatives. “When experiences of this kind are shared with other parents, it can lead to a perception that medication is overused.” He adds that if medication at a particular dose has been tried for a certain period and doesn’t result in an improvement of symptoms, this too can lead to an unwarranted generalisation that medication is ineffective.

Final word

It’s about taking the time to come to the right solution – because making or sticking to an inaccurate diagnosis can lead to the inappropriate use of medication. “If a teenager has symptoms of what we call hypomania (a less dramatic state of elevated mood) and those symptoms are missed and they are treated only with antidepressants, it can lead to a poor treatment response or even a worsening of what eventually can turn out to be a bipolar disorder.”

Mental health hangs in a delicate balance for both children and adults. It needs much more attention than we tend to give it, says Dr Loh – it’s all too easy to ignore the symptoms of unease and distress and block them with screen distractions. If you have concerns, he suggests speaking to a therapist as a key part of your self-care regimen.

About the doctor

Dr Loh is an experienced psychiatrist with a subspecialty focus in child and adolescent Psychiatry. He has a special interest in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and anxiety disorders, expertise in military and aviation psychiatry and a strong appreciation for the cross-cultural aspects of mental wellbeing.

 


This article was first published on the Expat Living Website on 30th March 2023 and written by Anna Murphy.

Andrew da Roza on children’s attitude toward drug use and how parents can aid.

Andrew da Roza on children’s attitude toward drug use and how parents can aid.

Andrew da Roza speaks with Straits time on how some young drug users develop the habit as a result of pressures at home and school. Read on to find out the details.

Follow the link to read the full article: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parents-must-help-shape-their-children-s-attitudes-towards-drug-use-counsellors

Find out more about our services at Visions >>

 

Positive Discipline and Gentle Parenting for Children

Positive Discipline and Gentle Parenting for Children

Written by: Tan Su-Lynn, Senior Educational Psychologist

 

Positive discipline and gentle guidance are concepts which are not given enough recognition. In comparison to corporal punishments and other forms of authoritarian parenting, positive discipline aims to teach by first creating a safe relationship with children, putting connection before correction. According to recent neuroscience research, people learn best when they feel safe and connected to others, in the context of safe relationships. This helps to instil discipline with maximum efficacy in the long run. 

What does positive discipline bring to the table? Apart from building trust and strengthening parent-child relationships, it teaches children responsibility, self-discipline, problem-solving skills and cooperation. By ensuring that learning isn’t fear-based – such as in the context of authoritarian parenting – it also helps children build on their self-esteem, develop their sense of significance, as well as manage their emotions effectively. However, it is key to note that gentle guidance may not always yield immediate results. Consistency plays a crucial role, and over time, parents will notice their children actively apply what they have learnt. 

Positive Discipline Techniques

Redirection

This technique involves diverting your child’s attention to other activities when they are acting out, or when you’re trying to guide a child’s behaviour from inappropriate to appropriate. For example, if your child is running around in the kitchen while someone is cooking, stop them and introduce another item or toy that would be of interest to them. Rather than simply saying, “Don’t run in the house,” say, “ “It is not safe to run in the house. Please go outside if you want to run.” 

In addition, follow up with questions to confirm that he/she understands the boundaries (i.e what is and isn’t acceptable). Questions can include:

 “Is it safe to play in the kitchen while it is in use?” 

“Where else could you play instead if you feel like running?”

Such open-ended questions confirming boundaries can also initiate child-led problem-solving. 

With positive discipline, it is important that you describe the behaviour you want to see without lecturing, and whenever possible, let your child know what they can do, as opposed to what they cannot do.

Positive Reinforcement

Emphasise the positive things your child does. If you only pay attention to negative behaviour, you will end up reinforcing that behaviour. When your child does something worthy of praise, be sure to acknowledge it and give him/her recognition for it. Positive reinforcement is not limited to words of praise for good behaviour. In fact, rewarding your child with natural rewards can be an extremely effective method for encouraging similar behaviour in the future. For instance, if a child asks politely for a cup of juice instead of throwing a full-blown tantrum, consider giving a little more juice or even a nice topping to motivate similar polite requests in the future. Remember to point out what they did right and emphasise how you appreciate their polite behaviour. This kind of praise helps your child maintain a positive self-identity that they will want to live up to as well.

 

Natural Consequences

Punishing your child often can turn you into the enemy, fostering an unhealthy parent-child relationship. Many parents tend to punish their children in ways that are unrelated to the offence too, and this can be confusing or simply encourage their children to act in defiance. Where possible, allow the natural consequences of their actions to unfold. For instance, if your child throws a tantrum and refuses to put on a raincoat while it is raining, the natural consequence is that they would get wet. They will be far more likely to acquiesce the next time than if you respond with a time-out when a similar situation arises.

 

Time-in and Time-out

You may be familiar with the time-out consequence, a common disciplinary technique when a child has done something wrong. Solitary, boring time-outs can be effective when well-executed. However, research has shown that such disciplinary methods are best when occasional time-outs are paired with time-ins. Time-ins encourage good behaviour, and are carried out by having the parent spend quality time with the child after a bout of bad behaviour. Instead of lashing out at the child and sending them away, spend time with them and help them calm down if they are emotionally agitated. Once they’ve calmed down, it would be much easier to discuss better choices for the future, and encourage them to apologise for their bad behaviour. 

 

Paying attention to language use

Language is very important when it comes to disciplining a child. When anger strikes, it’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Be mindful not to use derogatory language or words of insult, as this can be hurtful and harm the child’s self-esteem. Moreover, try rephrasing your sentences. Instead of saying, “you messed up”, begin sentences with “I” statements. Convey how you felt about their behaviour rather than solely focusing on what the child did. This makes the approach to discussing the situation less critical, and allows the child to calm down and feel less defensive especially if their actions were unintentional. 

While gentle parenting is a brilliant method as a whole, it is still important that we do what we need to do if there is danger involved. For instance, if your child is running straight for a busy road, yelling or grabbing at them is completely valid and reasonable. 

All in all, remember to focus on encouragement and redirection of bad behaviour to appropriate alternatives. Positive discipline can go a long way, and it will certainly benefit both parent and child.

 


References: 

  1. https://srhd.org/media/documents/What20is20Positive20Discipline1.pdf (Accessed 15/07/2022)
  2. https://www.verywellfamily.com/examples-of-positive-discipline-1095049 (Accessed 15/07/2022)
  3. Photo by James X on Unsplash

 

How to cope with or help one with Eating Disorders over the Holiday Season

How to cope with or help one with Eating Disorders over the Holiday Season

Written by: Henny Tan, Senior Clinical Psychologist

Most of us look forward to the festive season. After all “‘tis the season to be jolly”. It is a time for family and friends to be gathered together, often with the accompaniment of special treats and food. However, this may not always be the case for individuals who struggle with eating disorders.

Across various cultures, food is a unifying cultural thread, and eating is a huge and important part of our social lives. Oftentimes we forget the pervasiveness of food in our everyday lives. Have you ever considered how integral the role of food is in building social connectedness and relationships? We catch up with friends over meals and have informal business meetings over coffee. We also celebrate important occasions and milestones over food. The phenomenon of foodstagramming (a term used to describe the act of taking pictures of one’s food and posting it on social media), or “the camera eats first”, also dominates our social media.

As a result of the emphasis that is being placed on food, individuals with an eating disorder may feel tremendous stress and anxiety partaking in food-focused family traditions and gatherings with friends during the holiday season. 

 

What are eating disorders?

Eating disorders are a category of psychological conditions that manifest themselves in persistent and unhealthy relationships between body image, food, eating and exercise.  They usually develop in adolescence and young adulthood and are often associated with a whole host of distressing thoughts and emotions. Eating disorders can affect people of all ages and of any race, gender or body type.

Some types of eating disorders include:

  • Anorexia Nervosa
    • An eating disorder characterised by weight loss (or lack of appropriate weight gain in children), unhealthy eating patterns, intense fear of gaining weight and significant body image concerns. This condition is extremely dangerous as it can lead to malnutrition, starvation, and death.
  • Bulimia Nervosa
    • Bulimia is characterised by a cycle of bingeing and purging, where the individual eats large amounts of food (larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time) in a way that feels out of their control, and then engages in purging which involves self-induced vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise, Individuals with Bulimia also tend to have significant body image concerns.
  • Binge-eating Disorder
    • Binge-eating disorder involves periods of consuming unusually large amounts of food in a discrete period of time, accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating. Binge-eating episodes are commonly associated with difficult emotions such as guilt, disgust and shame.

 

Struggles Faced During the Holiday Season

Food

A daily struggle for someone with an eating disorder is worrying about what and how much they will eat, how to burn off the calories consumed. When faced with an abundance of food choices and especially food that they do not commonly eat or labelled as “bad”, such worries become exacerbated. For example, someone with binge-eating urges may find it difficult to control their eating during such situations, leading to increased feelings of guilt and shame, as well as negative beliefs about themselves that come with these feelings.

 

Disruption of Routines

Obligations to attend various parties and gatherings will also likely disrupt everyday routines such as meal timings and exercise. In addition, structured meal plans that may be essential for someone at a specific stage of eating disorder recovery may also be impacted when dining with others.

Expectations

The holiday season is also a time when we are faced with expectations from family and friends to be happy and relaxed, and to indulge in food. However, for individuals with anorexia nervosa, they may find it extremely difficult to finish their food when family is watching what they eat, or may feel pressured when others are encouraging them to eat larger amounts of food, which can lead to feelings of shame and guilt. Asking someone if they have eaten is often a way of showing we care, but for someone with an eating disorder this could potentially trigger a whole slew of body-image related thoughts. Additionally, stress may also come in the form of worrying about how to manage comments from others about how they look or what they are eating or not eating.

Isolation

Individuals with eating disorders tend to feel isolated as they may withdraw from social gatherings as a way of coping with the deeply rooted fear of being negatively evaluated by others. During the holiday season where gatherings involve many more people, this fear can become intensified. They often find it hard to express their anxieties and struggles to family and friends, while at the same time feel unable to escape such situations, resulting in them feeling overwhelmed and detached.

 

How One Can Manage The Struggle

Preventive Measures and Coping

Given the challenges that someone with an eating disorder might face during the festive season, it is important to be proactive and plan ahead to make it easier to transition into the holidays. Friends and family can also be a significant source of support.

Plan Ahead

  • Adhere to a meal plan as much as possible to avoid binge or restrictive eating habits.
  • Identify potential triggers. List them down and try to brainstorm appropriate solutions or coping for each one of them. 
  • List down coping statements that you think might be helpful. Remind yourself the reasons to leave the eating disorder out of this meal. 
  • Plan non-food related activities that are fun and relaxing to recharge or bond with loved ones. You might feel most vulnerable during the first hour after meals, so plan to do activities that may help to distract yourself from the difficult thoughts or urges to binge or purge. 
  • Arrange check-in sessions to review your game plan with your psychologist before the holiday season.
  • Practise how to politely set boundaries and prepare a list of topics in case you need to change the topic for when someone makes comments about your appearance or eating that make you feel uncomfortable. 

 

Communicate

  • Speak with family members or other members of your support system before the holidays to help them understand your needs and potential triggers. 
  • Identify a support person or a “buddy” who can help with sticking to your plans as well as provide emotional support when needed. It might help to arrange a code word or signal to indicate that you are feeling overwhelmed and need additional support.

 

Self-compassion 

  • Be kind to yourself! Acknowledge that you are stepping outside your comfort zone. It is understandable that this might be difficult and challenging for you, but struggling does not mean you are failing.
  • Set realistic goals and expectations of yourself. Take things one step at a time.
  • Catch yourself when you criticise yourself again. Recognise that you are doing the best you can. 
  • Give yourself the gift of enjoying the meal. Remove the idea of treating food as a “reward”, and give yourself permission to enjoy the food and company.

 

How Family and Loved Ones Can Help

  • Be there for a loved one who is struggling. Listen to their struggles without making any judgments. 
  • Ask them how they feel and try to validate their feelings, even if you may not fully understand what they are going through.
  • Avoid being the “food police” unless the treatment team has given you a plan to monitor and portion food for your loved one. 
  • Avoid making comments and judgments about calories, eating and physical appearance. 
  • Refrain from making criticisms and instead offer support and words of encouragement.
Circular Causality in Family Issues: How to raise emotionally and mentally healthier children

Circular Causality in Family Issues: How to raise emotionally and mentally healthier children

Written by: Dr Mark Toh, Senior Consultant Psychologist

What Is Circular Causality?: Understanding Your Child’s Reactions

The American Psychological Association defines ‘Circular Causality’ as a sequence of causes and effects that leads back to the original cause and either alters or confirms it, thus producing a new sequence, as in a feedback loop.

This is an important concept that helps to explain certain interactions within relationships better. Relational patterns and rules between family members within the family system dominate how individuals interact and engage with one another. These rules are often silent, unconscious or multi-generational in nature. Within this system, the family operates according to some ‘thermostat’ which sets the ‘desired setting’ for how each member is expected or required to function. The functioning applies to how situations or people are viewed, how much self-disclosure is welcomed or permitted, how personal or interpersonal difficulties are addressed or not, how disagreements or secrets are to be dealt with, or what relational values are being promoted. Families in different cultures may operate with certain predictable rules or patterns, eg. within families sensitive to shame, avoidance or non-verbal disclosure, communication is often practised. Tapping into the honest emotions of members over time tends to reveal the ‘temperature’ within the family system.

Families nurture the psychological ‘birth’ of the sense of self within children during their childhood. In the process, parents shape within their children how young children will engage themselves (intra-personal relationship) to function in later childhood and adulthood (inter-personal relationships). Healthy relational patterns and appropriate rules are important to foster healthy emotional development towards an important psychological milestone for children: healthy identity formation. Because these patterns and rules are so fundamental in the shaping process, it is important for parents to understand how they can shape their children towards this healthy identity. If not, the child could begin a life-long struggle from having accepted an identity that is diffused, confused or distorted in nature. This is usually accompanied by secondary effects of this outcome, eg. a pattern of difficult or troubled relationships with others. This usually adds additional distress to the sufferer and to those who relate to them. 

Instead of understanding interactions within relationships along a linear continuum where there is a definitive start and end, circular causality opens up to appreciating the relational context where interactions can be examined between two events in more useful detail. With an understanding of circular causality, understanding the interactions between two or more individuals can better reveal where an interaction can get stuck. This pattern occurs in all relationships but it is especially within ongoing relationships where being stuck in a negative cycle can lead to particular disappointments, hurt and pain. For children, unhealthy patterns and rules within families can undermine the child’s emotional development over time.

Circular causality is particularly useful to explain conflicts between family members which can become persistent and damaging. Persistent hurts can undermine relationships and lead to how negative expectations of each person are viewed and engaged with over time. They are a concern because of the prospect of children’s sense-of-self being hurt or damaged within certain family systems. Therefore, careful attention is usually necessary in understanding the attribution of cause-and-effect of what is problematic between family members.

Individuals attribute cause and effect or causation in situations and within relationships. Linear cause and effect of A 🡪 B 🡪 C are defined by a specific start and end point. Individuals who operate from understanding relationships based on linear causality tend to assume that problems are caused and maintained by the other individual’s beliefs, biology, emotions or other abnormal factors within the individual, i.e., they are self-generated. Therefore, solutions are found when the individual in question changes their beliefs or emotions within them to respond differently to the situation.

In contrast, circular causality refers to the reciprocal relationship between two events. Family members influence each other in a continuous process within a feedback loop. A vicious cycle is often present when two or more family members have relied on unchecked assumptions to carry out their attributions of cause-and-effect in the situation. The perspective of reciprocal relationships stems from the foundations of cybernetics, which refers to the regulatory action where one part of the system impacts another. Events usually do not happen in isolation. There is a feedback loop which tend to result in a new equilibrium. It is more that A 🡪 B 🡪 A. 

 

Case Studies

Case 1:

Susan refuses to go to school and goes into her room. Mom and Dad raise their voices and lecture her. When they raise their voices, Susan isolates. Mom and Dad’s frustrations or anger heighten Susan’s need for isolation, and Susan’s isolation heighten Mom and Dad’s anxiety, and therefore their escalation.

For parents who operate on assumptions of linear causality, their perception can easily overlook other reasons to explain the child’s original presenting problem, eg. Susan may be bullied at school, she has an unhappy relationship with her teacher, or she may be afraid of facing exams but is afraid to tell anyone. Parents who operate based on linear causality tend to see their child as the source of the problem, and to overlook their contribution or other reasons leading to the child’s presenting problem.

Instead of being quick to judge the situation as the child choosing to misbehave, parents should focus first on establishing a safe, trusting relationship with their daughter before their intervention.  They can raise concerns about what their child may be fearful of with empathy. The following statement could be as follows, “Hey Susan. You usually would enjoy attending school. But something unpleasant or uncomfortable may have happened to make you afraid of returning to school. I remember that when I went to school, I have at times been uncomfortable going to school because I was afraid of meeting someone I did not like, or having to face an exam I was not prepared for, or having to face a teacher who was mean. Can you tell me what is going on for you at school that you are uncomfortable facing? I will like to help you.” 

Case 2: 

John struggles in completing his homework and his poor grades. The father Mr. Lim responds to him with harsh criticism. Hurt and demoralized by his father’s criticism, John does not put in his best effort at school. His father’s criticism then intensifies and John puts in even less effort to learn. 

Family difficulties are often not rooted by a simple mistake made by the child (mistakes are common for children and instrumental for how they learn).  In this scenario, the father’s response to John may be reflective of how Mr. Lim was regarded as a child himself by his own parents when he was growing up. Criticism then is an extension of how he was treated as problematic as a child (to regard himself as stupid, inadequate, irresponsible) so as to repeat the cycle here. Without knowing all this history, John becomes hurt and angry against his father’s accusation. He can try to defend himself and retaliate with, “I am not useless. You are.” Mr. Lim who is outraged by John’s apparently disrespectful reply can bear down on John for what he considers to be John’s defiance to intensify his attack: “You are not only useless but disrespectful.”  This pattern can then set up a loop that becomes self-perpetuating or self-reinforcing based on their view of each other. John is seen by his father not only as stupid or irresponsible, he is also viewed as disrespectful and defiant. In turn, John sees his father as unloving and hurtful whom he needs to distance himself from. If they had a positive relationship earlier in John’s life, this relationship can deteriorate over time if the underlying issues are not addressed.   

In reciprocal relationships, circular causality is often revealed in the course of the interplay between emotional experiences, false or valid expectations and eventually how we experience each other. It often reveals how one or both parties perceive and interpret their individual world, and there is usually a historical reason  behind their perception. Our current experiences, perspectives and approach to relationships are often already influenced or shaped by our previous significant relationships with our family-or-origin and culture. 

[ In this situation, Mr. Lim should be advised to consult a child clinical psychologist when he sees no improvement with his son’s behavior. He needs to be alerted to the importance and quality of the parent-child relationship in impacting the child’s self-esteem, emotional conditions for what children need to thrive and the nature of the unconscious. If Mr. Lim was armed with the appropriate knowledge and possibly obtain personal help to address his relationship with himself as defective or inadequate, he could approach his son with, “Hey son. Studying in Singapore can be challenging or difficult. The workload can be heavy and the material can be difficult. I struggled with it too when I was a student. What struggles are you facing at the moment?” ]

 

Case 3

In the midst of ongoing conflicts between parents, their child Ben develops anxiety because the two people he loves appear to be hurting each other. Ben acts out with anxiety and/or depression, eg. temper tantrums, excessive withdrawal from school or play, trouble at school. This draws the attention of his parents who attend to him. In the process, their own conflict decreases. From this, Ben learns that he can influence his parents’ conflict through his anxiety. 

Circular causality helps to explain why family members may be stuck arguing about the same subject every time through communication traps or failures. Understanding cause & effect on a linear perspective in relationships can result in an artificial understanding: one cause & one effect or multiple causes & the same effect. In this scenario, Ben’s parents may wish to see Ben as having difficulties coping with school. Their solution may be to improve Ben’s responses to become more resilient. But if Ben attempted to communicate his difficulties with his parents’ conflict, they may not wish to believe that they contribute to his struggles. In so doing, they fail to capture the root of the problem for what it is. A child’s struggles may be defined by their parents because the child’s limitations reflects the parents’ limited emotional insights on themselves or their children. This lack of emotional insight and understanding is often expressed through circular causality to reveal that children can be misunderstood often and that the parent-child relationships can often be negatively impacted.  The parents’ own limitations are often overlooked in the situation.

Repeated over time, the negative rituals expressed in circular causality can be locked in place by ignorance, emotional hypersensitivity, defensiveness, contempt for one or more family members, hopelessness, hurt, anger, blame, fear and avoidance or stonewalling. Emotional cut-offs may be used frequently. If this happens, the effects of circular causality in an unhealthy family system can be experienced as intolerable. If there was previously a positive bond that bound the relationship, it can now be worn down by pain and the relationship may become damaged.

In this situation, the parents should consult a clinical psychologist familiar with children and family issues when they notice their child struggling with school or presents with anxiety in the midst of their conflict. 

How To Break The Cycle

Raising healthy children require establishing healthy relationships and healthy boundaries. Because the goal of raising healthy children is so worthwhile and essential to their future growth and success, parents need to be concerned that their relationship with their children are not defined by misunderstandings and conflict which are painful. To foster family unity and raise healthy children, three important values and practices are essential to promote certain patterns and rules in the family system: 

  1. Parents need to learn about child development. They should also remember that children function at a disadvantage because they tend to lack the emotional insight to explain their fears, their confusion, and what they need. Subsequently, children often have difficulty articulating what they feel or need. They need parental help to develop their emotional insight and offer them a broad emotional vocabulary to learn to express and communicate themselves clearly and honestly. When this is offered by parents who are emotionally mature and aware, intentional to raise children in their best interests, and when these parents are trusted by their children, the groundwork is being laid for the healthy formation and development of the child’s emerging identity.
  2. Parents need to develop the courage to have honest conversations with each other and their children. This courage needs to be accompanied by the believe that each member has important value so that each person is treated with respect. With courage and respect, each person can be approached with caution about making inaccurate or false assumptions of each other, and engaging in a self-serving bias. Being honest and courageous is important to clarify if inaccurate attributions are being made. Being ready to listen without judgment prior to making honest inquiries would further help to avoid misunderstandings or address misunderstandings when they occur.
  3. The willingness to develop healthy emotional intimacy promotes the value of sharing for each family member to know one another and to being known by the others in the family. This offers the basis for bonding and closeness. When communication is constructive, affirming and respectful, it can establish the sense of security within children and trust between family members. For children, this is particularly important since secure attachments contribute significantly to the child’s emotional development and mental health. This in turn offers a basis for them to acquire a healthy approach to future relationships and healthy functioning.

    To promote relationships which are safe and nurturing, words are powerful to convey that each family member is highly valued. They should be deliberately selected to promote each other’s well-being. Having a pattern of honest and constructive communication with healthy rules where individuals are affirmed and supported help to promote a family system where each member can safely practice saying what they mean and mean what they say. Misunderstandings are not left to stay but are promptly corrected. This offers the most fertile ground for healthy personal and interpersonal growth to happen. When parents notice they have difficulty delivering these practices, they should consult a clinical psychologist.

 


References:

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Apa Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological
Association. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://dictionary.apa.org/circular-causality 

Kerr, M. E., & Bowen, M. (1988). Family evaluation: An approach based on Bowen theory. W W Norton & Co.