Chapter 14: Behavioral and Psychological Wellbeing
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the types of stress.
- Describe the concept of ACEs, their impact, and means of prevention.
- Describe childhood maltreatment, including types and risk factors.
- Explain the theoretical interpretations of aggression and antisocial behavior.
- Describe various behavioral and conduct problems.
- Understand the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and self-directed violent behavior and understand their impact on development.
- Understand the reasons and risk factors that may lead to adolescent substance use and how it may be prevented.
“Adverse childhood experiences are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today.” — Dr. Robert Block, former President of American Academy of Pediatrics
Since the inception of the field over a century ago, developmental researchers have examined the potentially harmful effects of early childhood experiences on development. Following the historical trends of their day, developmentalists investigated the impact of maternal separation due to war, hospitalization, and death, the effects of institutional care, and the multiple risks experienced by children living in poverty. As certain topics lost their taboo and moved into the mainstream, researchers focused more closely on problems that can interfere with behavioral and psychological wellbeing like stress, child neglect and maltreatment, substance use and abuse, and mental health conditions. Adverse experiences rooted in family functioning are especially problematic for children because they not only create stressful experiences, but they can also disrupt the primary systems (i.e., parenting and family) that are supposed to protect and buffer children from major stressors.
