Parenting Styles Impact Kids' BMI; Study Says Harsh Parenting Style Leads To Serious Health Risks

Are you practicing harsh parenting? You may want to reconsider your parenting style.

A study has shown that a harsh parenting style of one spouse increases the risks of poor health and obesity as a child grows older. This is according to a new study published in Social Science & Medicine.

Thomas J. Schofield, Rand D. Conger, Joseph E. Gonzales and Melissa T. Merrick conducted the study. The researchers focused on kids aged 12 to 20, videotaping interactions of 451 two-parent families over the years.

Harsh Parenting

Observation of the interactions yielded data on parenting behavior. According to Parenting, the study defined harsh parenting as the parenting style of those "who reject and coerce or who are physically aggressive and self-centered."

Lead author Schofield that the results of their study posed more questions than answers. The researchers found that the effects of one parent's harsh style on physical health were cushioned by the warm style of the other parent.

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Harsh Parenting Affects BMI

On the other hand, there was a different result when looking at the effect of harsh parenting on body mass index. Health risks from harsh parenting of one parent "increased as warmth from the other parent also increased," as per EurekAlert.

"Harshness leads to problems with physical health," said Schofield, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Iowa State University. "And no matter how hard a spouse tries they may not be able to erase those effects." According to him, they observed no parent hitting the adolescents, but some exhibited "pinching and pushing." 

Children Could Be Damaged In The Long Run

Turns out, harsh parenting style gives children a negative environment for up to 20 years during their adolescence, resulting in chronic stress. To make matters worse, chronic stress in children can affect brain development during their formative years, which could lead to mental illnesses like depression, anxiety and some cognitive dysfunctions.

That's in addition to the physical health risks, too. Mayo Clinic reported that chronic stress could also lead to digestive problems, cardiovascular diseases, headaches and sleeping problems, to name a few.

What do you think about harsh parenting and this study? Share your thoughts in the comments!