What makes a caring parent? The biology of parenting
Education and Child Studies image: Unsplash
What happens in our bodies when we care for children? And why are some people more caring than others? These are the questions Professor of Education and Child Studies Peter Bos aims to answer in his research, ultimately helping parents with the difficult task of raising children.
‘Children need a tremendous amount of care’, says Bos. And we expect parents to provide the majority of that care. This doesn’t make much sense from an evolutionary perspective. In the past, childcare was much more the responsibility of the whole community. It is too hard a job for just two people, says Bos, who will give his inaugural lecture on 31 March.
Many parents experience stress because of the high expectations of parenting and the pressure to maintain a career. ‘A little stress is fine, but chronic stress makes it difficult to offer children the care they need.’
The effect of stress on caregiving
Bos studies the biology of caregiving. ‘Why are some people more caring than others? Are there differences between men and women? What neural and hormonal mechanisms are at play? And how does stress affect them?’
To answer these questions, Bos is studying oxytocin, or the cuddle hormone as it is known. ‘Oxytocin plays a key role in all sorts of aspects that are important to good caregiving. In mothers it helps trigger milk production. And in both men and women, it heightens their sensitivity to social cues, which is linked to empathetic behaviour.’
Research by Bos’s team and researchers from UMC Utrecht has shown that people with heightened sensitivity to oxytocin respond more empathetically to children in distress. In future studies, he hopes to explore how oxytocin influences parental caregiving. Researchers will observe parents at home to see how they pick up on their child’s signals and respond to their needs.
Raising parent awareness
Bos’s fundamental research will help parents understand what’s happening in their bodies, how stress can affect parenting and why people have different caregiving styles. ‘I’ve noticed that parents find this really interesting’, he says. ‘Everyone wants to be a good parent and some parents wonder why they are unable to. Research can help them understand their own reactions and learn to manage them, which will ultimately benefit both themselves and their children.’