Unpredictable parental behavior and instability in household resources negatively affect children's attention and neural responses, reports infohub.kz.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, led by psychology professor Denise Werchan, conducted a series of three studies showing the impact of an unstable home environment on infant brain development. The experts examined the behavior and neurophysiological responses of children aged three to twelve months.
The authors found that constant fluctuations in the availability of food, housing, and utilities cause infants to switch attention more frequently during visual tests. In unstable conditions, frequent shifts in focus become a way to gather information. The second study showed that chaotic and irregular parental behavior during play reduces activity in the frontal brain regions of three-month-old infants, affecting data processing and heart rate.
The third part of the work identified a protective factor: the neurosteroid allopregnanolone in breast milk can reduce the impact of maternal stress and depression on a child's ability to regulate emotional state.
Werchan emphasized the difference between poverty and unpredictability. Limited resources with a consistent daily routine create a more favorable environment for a child's nervous system development than high income amid complete chaos. According to the authors, support for mothers and home stability directly determine child development.