What Happens to Us When We Lack Emotional Support At Home?

Image of a family inside a heart

by Alejandra Ramos

Most people would say that mental health plays an important role in the well-being of a human being. Although the majority of this generation believes that this is true, the older generation believes otherwise or doesn’t believe mental health exists. Children who live in these types of households will most likely not get the help that they need in order to heal therefore they will suffer in silence. Not having emotional support in a household can make an impact on one’s mental health which leads to negative consequences.

There could be many reasons as to why these types of parents aren’t involved with mental health. The root of this issue could be that they lived in a generation where they weren’t educated on mental health and the factors that play into it. Compared to the generation we are currently living in, they lived in a time where they might not know what mental illnesses are and their effects on a person therefore they might not be aware that their parenting style is negatively affecting their children and their development. With not having much knowledge, they tend to ignore the topic of mental health, leaving their children with unanswered questions and feeling invalidated. Thus leaving a distance between the relationship of the child and their parents.

It’s no question that there are many factors that correlate with poor mental health. Parents and their parenting styles are one of those factors because they are what creates the environment that their child grows up in. Living in an environment where mental health doesn’t exist in the minds of parents can affect the way they behave and think. Children growing up in a household without emotional support from their parents will not know how to cope with what they are going through. They will most likely have negative lasting effects such as low self-esteem, feeling of loneliness, and experience anxiety. Parents should be more aware that the environment they provide and the way they function as a family is all part of the well-being of their child. A research study stated that there is a relationship between family characteristics and mental health and it’s important to address this issue because children go through critical stages in their life where longer lasting effects take place. They’ve also concluded that poor family functioning is associated with poor mental health (Yang, 2021). The relationship that the child has with their parents will depend on what kind of family dynamics they have which will affect the way they interact with each other and how open they are with one other.

Living in a household where mental health is not taken seriously can make an impact on the child’s identity development because they won’t be able to express themselves with their emotions and feelings. They will most likely hold back on saying what they are going through because they grew up feeling that no one will listen and care for them. Since they grew up thinking that expressing their feelings isn’t important then they will not reach out for help when they show symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Another research study examined how many people utilize mental health services and have asked their perceptions on mental health which concluded that 18.4% have experienced having a mental illness but only a third of that percentage have gone out and received treatment for it (Moyce, 2022). As time goes by without help, their depression and anxiety will worsen which will eventually lead to longer lasting negative effects. They believe mental illnesses is something that is not important to resolve or feel that it’s not necessary to get help.

Mental health plays an important role in one’s well-being and should be taken seriously. Parents should be able to give both physical and emotional support to their children in order for them to strive in life and have the ability of resilience. The topic of mental health should not be considered taboo and parents need to be informed that they have an effect on their child’s mental health.

References

Moyce S, Thompson S, Metcalf M, Velazquez M, Aghbashian E, Sisson N, Claudio D. Rural hispanic perceptions of mental health: a qualitative study. J Transcult Nurse. 2022 May;33(3):346-354. doi: 10.1177/10436596211070592

Yang Z, Cui Y, Yang Y, Wang Y, Zhang H, Liang Y, Zhang Y, Shang L. The relationship between mental health problems and systemic family dynamics among high school and university students in shaanxi province, china. Int J Public Health. 2021 Sep 6;66:1603988. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2021.1603988.