Developmental science is only beginning to understand the way relational health buffers adversity and builds resilience, but emerging data suggest that responsive interactions between children and engaged, attuned adults are paramount.1,16,114,115 Not only are infants programmed to connect socially and emotionally with adult caregivers,116 but the brains of parents of newborn infants appear to be reprogrammed to connect with their infants.117 Imaging studies of new parents demonstrate changes in several major brain circuits, including a reward circuit, social information circuit, and emotional regulation circuit.117,118 The reward circuit includes the striatum, ventral tegmental area, anterior cingulated cortex, and prefrontal cortex, where dopamine and rising levels of oxytocin interact to make social interactions more rewarding, thereby encouraging more parental engagement in infant care.118,119 The social information circuit includes structures such as the anterior insula, inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and supplemental motor area, which support internal representations of what others may be experiencing and more empathic responses to infant behaviors.118,119 Finally, the emotional regulation circuit includes the amygdala, superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction, and prefrontal cortex, which promote social cognition and a downregulation of the stress response.118,119 The convergent conclusion from these preliminary imaging studies of the parental brain is clear: much like the infant brain, the parental brain is programmed to connect. Teach residents how to identify and develop collaborative relationships with the local referral resources and early childhood initiatives in their communities. Importance: Literacy has been described as an important social determinant of health. Just another site. Translating these principles into pediatric practice will require FCPMHs to: Understand the toxic stress framework, which explains how many of our societys most intractable problems, such as disparities in health, education, and economic stability, are rooted in our shared biology but divergent experiences and opportunities (see Table 1). Approximately 15.5 million children in the United States reside in households in which interpersonal violence is recurrent. Transactional theory emphasizes that: Ecobiodevelopmental theory asserts that: (a)early experiences create the structure of the brain (b)genes are the dominant determinant of brain development (c)early interventions cannot overcome the power of poverty in brain development (d)improving early nutrition could break the cycle of poverty 4. Doing so will require all health professionals to address their implicit biases, develop cultural humility, and provide culturally competent recommendations. To usher in these fundamental reforms, more pediatricians will need to assume leadership positions outside the realm of clinical care.202,203 In addition, pediatric training programs will need to educate residents about the ecobiodevelopmental model, train them on how to develop strong therapeutic relationships with parents and caregivers, teach them how to model nurturing and affirming interactions with children of all ages, train them how to encourage caregivers to have positive relational experiences with children of all ages, prepare them to work as part of interdisciplinary teams144,150 (eg, integrated with behavioral health and social service professionals), educate them on how to develop collaborative partnerships with community referral resources, and encourage them to become vocal advocates for public policies that promote safe, stable, and nurturing families and communities. POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. Any conflicts have been resolved through a process approved by the Board of Directors. Help Me Grow National Center. The term toxic stress refers to a wide array of biological changes that occur at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels when there is prolonged or significant adversity in the absence of mitigating social-emotional buffers.2 Whether those adversity-induced changes are considered adaptive and health-promoting or maladaptive and toxic depends on the context. Tertiary preventions in the toxic stress framework are focused on the evidence-based practices that treat toxic stress-related morbidities such as anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse disorder. To minimize the burden of toxic stress responses at the population level, the entire pediatric community needs to identify and address not only the acute threats to child wellness such as abuse and physical violence but also the ongoing, chronic life conditions such as racism, poverty, and isolation that are rooted in deep-seated social constructs, societal inequities (including those within the health care system), and public policies that inhibit social cohesion, equity, and relational health. 5, Attachment and the regulation of the right brain, The adaptive human parental brain: implications for childrens social development, Two Open Windows: Infant and Parent Neurobiological Change, The neurobiology of mammalian parenting and the biosocial context of human caregiving, Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: associations across adverse childhood experiences levels, Childhood adversity and parent perceptions of child resilience, A systematic review of amenable resilience factors that moderate and/or mediate the relationship between childhood adversity and mental health in young people, A new framework for addressing adverse childhood and community experiences: the building community resilience model, Responding to ACEs with HOPE: Health Outcomes From Positive Experiences, Balancing Adverse Childhood Experiences with HOPE: New Insights Into the Role of Positive Experience on Child And Family Development, Sit down and play: a preventive primary care-based program to enhance parenting practices, Books and reading: evidence-based standard of care whose time has come, Effectiveness of a primary care intervention to support reading aloud: a multicenter evaluation, Differential susceptibility to the environment: toward an understanding of sensitivity to developmental experiences and context, Stress and the development of self-regulation in context, Biological sensitivity to context: II. For example, the AAP currently recommends screening parents for postpartum depression90 and food insecurity.87,88 Similarly, when clinical markers for an individual childs biological sensitivity to context9194 (see the Appendix for a glossary of terms, concepts, and abbreviations) are available, children of high (versus low) sensitivity may also benefit from different types of interventions.95 In concordance with a layered public health approach, these various targeted interventions will supplement but not replace the universal primary preventions. A public health approach that includes primary universal preventions to promote wellness (like promoting positive parenting practices), secondary targeted interventions for those deemed to be at risk for poor outcomes (like using biomarkers both to identify those at higher risk and to monitor the effectiveness of various interventions), and tertiary evidence-based treatments for the symptomatic (like referring to providers trained in TF-CBT). Research done by author Mary Eberstadt shows that the sexual revolution was a Pandora's Box, unleashing many of the ills . Other common-factors techniques target feelings of anger, ambivalence, and hopelessness, family conflicts, and barriers to behavior change and help seeking. The ecobiodevelopmental model suggests that, to improve the likelihood of positive developmental outcomes across the life span, efforts should be made to improve the salient features of the child's environment. To move forward (to proactively build healthy, resilient children), the pediatric community needs to embrace the concept of relational health.15 Relational health refers to the ability to form and maintain SSNRs, as these are potent antidotes for childhood adversity and toxic stress responses.57,113 Not only do SSNRs buffer adversity and turn potentially toxic stress responses into tolerable or positive responses, but they are also the primary vehicle for building the foundational resilience skills that allow children to cope with future adversity in an adaptive, healthy manner.16,17 These findings highlight the need for multigenerational approaches that support parents and adults as they, in turn, provide the SSNRs that all children need to flourish. Acronym for safe, stable, and nurturing relationships; these allow the child to feel protected, connected, and competent. In the original ACE Study, 10 categories of adversity were examined: emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; 5 measures of household dysfunction, including the mother being treated violently (intimate partner violence), household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, and incarcerated household member; and emotional or physical neglect. Advocate that health systems, payers, and policy makers at all levels of government align incentives and provide funding to promote the universal primary prevention work discussed in this policy statement. Understanding, practicing, and reinforcing executive functions and self-regulation skills (eg, managing strong emotions, ensuring adequate sleep, and getting regular exercise) is essential because all caregivers need these skills to create the kinds of environments in which children thrive.16,37,59 Whether an adult coaching or skill-building component is incorporated within a FCPMH or connected to it in a collaborative manner, the essential role that these programs play in promoting the healthy development of children is clear, especially for those who are the most disadvantaged.1,16. Unfortunately, the two theories are very much at odds regarding what is "right." Shareholder theory asserts that shareholders advance capital to a company's managers, who are supposed to spend corporate funds only in ways that have been authorized by the shareholders. Repair strained or compromised relationships. Below we briefly discuss each of the five components, review relevant empirical support, and identify enduring questions. Acute threats to childhood wellness such as abuse need to be taken seriously; similar attention should be given to the social inequities and ongoing, chronic life conditions that similarly imperil a childs biological wellness and life-course trajectory. Toxic stress defines the problem. Colocate counseling services (warm handoffs); facilitate, track, and follow-up on referrals offered. Maternal distress mediated links between environmental chaos and children's mental health. a randomized controlled study, Parent-child interaction therapy: a manualized intervention for the therapeutic child welfare sector, Parent-child interaction therapy: an evidence-based treatment for child maltreatment, Accumulating evidence for parent-child interaction therapy in the prevention of child maltreatment, Parent and child trauma symptoms during child-parent psychotherapy: a prospective cohort study of dyadic change. Typically, restorative justice allows the victims and the offenders to mediate a restitution agreement that is satisfactory to both parties. Ecological includes experiences in a child's home environment, such as reading, talking, teaching,. This policy statement asserts that to move forward (to proactively build not only the healthy, happy children of today but also the well-regulated parents and productive citizens of the future) family-centered pediatric medical homes (FCPMHs) (see the Appendix for a detailed description) need to universally promote relational health. Perhaps the most important critique of Kohlberg's theory is that it may describe the moral development of males better than it describes that of females (Jaffee & Hyde, 2000). Acronym for Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; TF-CBT is an evidence-based, manualized, skills-based therapy that allows parents and children to better process emotions and thoughts related to traumatic experiences. 11, The Timing and Quality of Early Experiences Combine to Shape Brain Architecture. But those same biological changes could prove to be maladaptive, toxic, and health harming over time.10,11. Conceptualizing and operationalizing environmental chaos These perspectives offer different interpretations of the nature of society and the role of . But something happened that few predicted. HealthySteps is an evidence-based, interdisciplinary pediatric primary care program that promotes positive parenting and healthy development for infants and toddlers, with an emphasis on families living in low-income communities. See the Appendix for full descriptions of the abbreviations. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate. Early childhood experiences, both adverse and positive, appear to be biologically embedded and influence both disease and wellness across the life course.30 The ecobiodevelopmental model of disease and wellness explains how the ongoing but cumulative and reciprocal dance between ecology and biology leads to changes at the molecular (eg, methylation patterns), cellular (eg, brain connectivity patterns), and behavioral levels (eg, tobacco, alcohol, or other substance use).2,17 These changes are either adaptive or maladaptive depending on the context, and they are either benefits or risks to future health, academic success, and economic productivity.75. Of the 3 principles, this is the one that aligns most clearly with the core functions of the FCPMH and is, therefore, the primary focus of this policy statement. Acronym for Reach Out and Read; ROR is a nonprofit organization and early literacy program. Tertiary preventions in the relational health framework are focused on the evidence-based practices such as ABC, CPP, or PCIT that repair strained relationships and assist them in becoming more safe, stable, and nurturing. It was heralded as a good thing. The FCPMH alone cannot leverage significant change within the community context. A quasi-experimental study (GoWell) of a UK neighbourhood renewal programmes impact on health inequalities, Towards health equity: a framework for the application of proportionate universalism, University College of London Institute of Health Equity, Safe, stable, nurturing relationships break the intergenerational cycle of abuse: a prospective nationally representative cohort of children in the United Kingdom, Building the Brain's Air Traffic Control System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. Feminist theory asserts that gender is a social construct and that the unequal treatment of women is a result of patriarchal norms and values. For children deemed to be at high risk for toxic stress responses, potential barriers to relational health need to be identified and addressed through team-based care144 and collaborative community partnerships (eg, food banks,145,146 medical-legal partnerships147). Communication could be further enhanced by cultural humility,164,165 implicit bias training,166171 a more diverse health care team (eg, providing families and patients the opportunity to seeing themselves reflected in the sex, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds of the team members), and access to professional interpreters. Vulnerability theory recognizes that the human experience of constant vulnerability varies as a result of stages in the life-course, social institutions, and law, which often trace intersecting forms of oppression on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and class. For children at higher risk for toxic stress responses, targeted secondary interventions with tiered services (eg, HealthySteps84,85) may be needed. Society is currently trending toward division, marginalization, alienation, and social isolation.177 In opposing this trend and calling for a public health approach that builds SSNRs, the AAP is working to translate the latest developmental science into practices and public policies (see Table 2) that build healthy, resilient children. ecobiodevelopmental (EBD) framework to stimulate fresh thinking about the promotion of health and prevention of disease across the lifespan. Symbolic interactionism theory asserts that society is composed of symbols and can be understood and analyzed by addressing the subjective meanings that people attach to objects, events, and behaviors that they consider as symbols. A public health approach to promoting relational health should also be integrated horizontally (or across sectors) at the local level.81,82,148 SSNRs are easier to form when safe, stable, and nurturing families are able to live in safe, stable, and nurturing communities.124,149,150 The FCPMH is ideally placed to educate families about what a safe, stable, and nurturing family environment looks like for a child, but doing so will require changes at the provider and practice levels (see Table 2). The biological theory asserts that most behaviors are inherited and shaped by adaptation to one's external environment. Trainees need to understand all of these many facets so they are prepared to be effective advocates for their patients and families. Contributors and Attributions. In the case of toxic stress responses, universal primary prevention means trying to prevent the precipitants of toxic stress responses (eg, advocating to address the spectrum of adversities discussed above) as well as promote healthy, adaptive responses to adversity through the provision of social supports that nurture the development of foundational resilience skills (such as task persistence, curiosity, and self-regulation).16,19,59,83, A public health approach to prevent childhood toxic stress is a public health approach to promote relational health. A public health approach to relational health is built on the SSNRs that buffer adversity and build resilience. Toxic stress explains how a wide range of ACEs become biologically embedded and alter life-course trajectories in a negative manner. The second assumption is that the FCPMH will have the capacity to form working relationships with a wide array of community partners. Routine versus catastrophic influences on the developing child, Childhood neglect: the role of the paediatrician, Inside the adverse childhood experience score: strengths, limitations, and misapplications, Interventions to improve cortisol regulation in children: a systematic review, Rethinking evidence-based practice and two-generation programs to create the future of early childhood policy, Family resilience and connection promote flourishing among US children, even amid adversity, Biological pathways for historical trauma to affect health: A conceptual model focusing on epigenetic modifications, The impact of historical trauma on health outcomes for indigenous populations in the USA and Canada: a systematic review, Promotion of positive parenting and prevention of socioemotional disparities, Primary care strategies for promoting parent-child interactions and school readiness in at-risk families: the Bellevue Project for Early Language, Literacy, and Education Success, Parenting skills and emotional availability: an RCT, Beyond the ACE score: examining relationships between timing of developmental adversity, relational health and developmental outcomes in children, Reading aloud, play, and social-emotional development, The pediatricians role in optimizing school readiness, Literacy promotion: an essential component of primary care pediatric practice, Early childhood investments substantially boost adult health, Depressive symptoms in young adults: the influences of the early home environment and early educational child care, Lifetime Effects: the High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40, Enhancing parent talk, reading, and play in primary care: sustained impacts of the video interaction project, Integrating a parenting intervention with routine primary health care: a cluster randomized trial, COMMITTEE ON PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH, The power of play: a pediatric role in enhancing development in young children, Thinking developmentally: the next evolution in models of health, Maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy alters the epigenetic signature of the glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter in their offspring: a meta-analysis, Prenatal exposure to maternal depression, neonatal methylation of human glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) and infant cortisol stress responses, Effects of prenatal and postnatal depression, and maternal stroking, at the glucocorticoid receptor gene, Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior in the human infant, income inequality and the differential effect of adverse childhood experiences in US children, The changing nature of childrens health development: new challenges require major policy solutions, The health development organization: an organizational approach to achieving child health development, Modifiable resilience factors to childhood adversity for clinical pediatric practice, Healthy Steps for Young Children: sustained results at 5.5 years, Healthy steps in an integrated delivery system: child and parent outcomes at 30 months, Parents adverse childhood experiences and their childrens behavioral health problems, Mediators and adverse effects of child poverty in the United States, Poverty and child health in the United States, Cultures influence on stressors, parental socialization, and developmental processes in the mental health of children of immigrants, Incorporating recognition and management of perinatal depression into pediatric practice, Quality of early family relationships and the timing and tempo of puberty: effects depend on biological sensitivity to context, Biological sensitivity to context: the interactive effects of stress reactivity and family adversity on socioemotional behavior and school readiness, Individual differences in behavioral, physiological, and genetic sensitivities to contexts: implications for development and adaptation, The Orchid and the Dandelion: Why Some Children Struggle and How All Can Thrive, SECTION ON DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS, Addressing early childhood emotional and behavioral problems, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up: an evidence-based intervention for vulnerable infants and their families, Attachment and biobehavioral catch-up: addressing the needs of infants and toddlers exposed to inadequate or problematic caregiving, Enhancing attachment organization among maltreated children: results of a randomized clinical trial, Effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) in the treatment of young childrens behavior problems. If nothing else, pandemic-mandated stay-at-home orders should increase our collective awareness of the distress associated with being socially isolated or vulnerable. The Theory of Architecture Paul-Alan Johnson 1994-04-18 The Theory of Architecture Concepts, Themes & Practices Paul-Alan Johnson Although it has long been thought that theory directs architectural practice, no one has explained precisely how the connection between theory and practice is supposed to work. This public health approach to relational health needs to be integrated both vertically (by including primary, secondary, and tertiary preventions) and horizontally (by including public service sectors beyond health care). Theories that support a relationship-based framework 1. Relational health is a strengths-based approach because it is focused on solutions: those individual, family, and community capacities that promote SSNRs, buffer adversity, and build resilience. ancillary support services (interpretation, telemedicine, transportation, etc) enabling youth with special health care needs to access the many layers of support that they frequently require. Toxic stress responses are known to alter multiple systems that interact in a reciprocal and dynamic manner: genomic function, brain structure and connectivity, metabolism, neuroendocrine-immune function, the inflammatory cascade, and the microbiome.13,14 Toxic stress-induced alterations also influence the adoption of maladaptive coping behaviors decades later.3740. University of Utah, Department of Psychology, College of Social & Behavioral Science. Finally, the diverse conditions included in a broader spectrum of adversity make the formation of SSNRs more difficult. Embrace restorative justice and social inclusion (over punitive measures and exclusion). The first is that pediatric providers will have the financial supports needed to expand their capacity for developing respectful, continuous, trusted, and nurturing relationships with both the patients and caregivers of the patients who they serve. Biobehavioral synchrony refers to the matching of nonverbal behaviors (eg, eye contact), coupling autonomic functions (eg, heart rate), coordination of hormone release (eg, oxytocin), and alignment of brainwaves between a parent and an infant.