The role of socioeconomic status, parental educational attainment, environmental factors, and epigenetics
Hundreds of thousands of children are born into poverty every year in the US, implying that their mothers are in poverty during pregnancy. The high number of expectant mothers living in poverty is a cause for concern as empirical evidence has shown their children to display more behavioral problems and less prosocial behavior compared to children born of mothers with high family income. Socioeconomic status has also been established to be responsible for the high number of preterm births among women with low income compared to their counterparts who are better off financially. Socioeconomic status plays a vital role throughout pregnancy trimesters because it influences the dietary intake of expectant mothers. Women from low income families have been demonstrated to have lower nutrient intake in all the trimesters of pregnancy, whose outcome is low birth weight.
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Low birth weight can cause a number of complications in later life including heightened risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. It is worth noting that low educational level, stress, and exposure to environmental pollutants such as lead and mercury, abuse of street and prescription drugs, smoking, and alcohol consumption are also risk factors for low birth weight. Cumulative effects of the risk factors can also trigger modification of gene expression causing alterations in genetic makeup. Many conditions such as early life stress, addiction, anxiety, depression, and fear conditioning, which are outcomes of exposure to risk factors, an also lead to epigenetics.
Socioeconomic status of parents and education level can impact ability to afford and access to contraceptives, which may lead to successive pregnancies being spaced in an unhealthy manner as the health the mother is impair and stress levels rise. Use of hormonal contraption may also affect maternal hormonal balance during conception and subsequently the wellbeing of the pregnancy. On the same note, stress levels can be compounded during conception or pregnancy due to parental disagreements about parenting, socioeconomic status, or exposure to environmental factors. In addition to disabling conditions, risk factors herein can affect cognitive functions of prenatally exposed children in later life, impairing their potential to live normal and productive lives.
Implications of Attachment Style
The consensus among psychologists is that the manner a caregiver interacts with an infant during the five few months of life largely influences the type of attachment that the infant develops with them. Nevertheless, the attachment style developed impacts the individual even in their adult life, especially where relationships are concerned. From the test, my attachment style is that of “Closeness Avoidance,” which is rated 39 in a scale of 100. My attachment style is described as enabling in terms of emotional expression or developing deep intimate bonds because I am at ease getting closer to a partner. In addition, I am comfortable relying on my partner when needed and vice versa. My attachment style encourages mutual interdependence in my relationship.
My mother was my primary care giver in my early developmental life, and by her own confession, she had difficulties balancing between family and career life even though they could always find time to spend with me within their busy schedule. However, from the verdict if the test, it is evident that the repetitive interactions between us were not very positive because the adult attachment style develops from it. As a result, I tend to have challenges in my personal relationships, especially in situations where my partner wants me to depend on them to a large extent. My fear is informed by perceptions of opening myself to vulnerabilities through dependence. The perceptions are not outcomes of negativity about the relationship, but rather my persistence to have self-worth, which I consider critical in having a balanced relationship where both partners treat one another with mutual respect.
