The article written by Murray (2018) dwells on the phenomenon of toxic stress and its potential impact on child refugees in terms of physical and mental health. Murray (2018) defined the concept of toxic stress as consistent exposure to adverse events where there was no supportive caretaker to mediate the effects of those events. It was noted by the researcher that certain health issues could transpire in the case where there were adverse childhood events that had affected the person during their younger years (Murray, 2018). Therefore, serious illnesses could affect children on a long-term scale with no opportunity to avoid the outcomes of such problems. The key suggestion that the author makes based on the existing evidence is that the prevalence of health issues drastically increased in children that were exposed to abuse, mental illnesses, and household dysfunctions. According to Murray (2018), the risk of toxic stress might increase quickly if the child was exposed to four or more adverse childhood events at the same time.
Throughout the article, Murray (2018) covered numerous topics connected to the health of child refugees exposed to toxic stress. As an example, the researcher took the case of war in Syria and discussed how child refugees could be significantly distressed by the brutality and trauma associated with armed conflicts (Murray, 2018). Both physical and mental instances of human health have to be considered together to prevent toxic stress and its negative influence on one’s health condition. Hence, the majority of conclusions Murray (2018) makes at the end of the article relate to how pediatric healthcare professionals could aid child refugees and help them maintain a positive state of mind and body. Even though the impact of the war stressor seems to be too heavy to overcome, there are basic interventions that can be applied to child refugees for improved health outcomes during adulthood (Murray, 2018). For instance, the researcher mentioned anticipatory guidance and encouragement as the key elements contributing to the deployment of a stronger support network.
Overall, the article written by Murray (2018) represents a rather detailed insight into how toxic stress can be managed in child refugees. The effects of toxic stress are discussed in rich detail, where adverse childhood events serve as the fundamental contributors to the development of toxic stress in the future. According to the conclusions made by Murray (2018), the majority of children are prone to toxic stress because they do not have any safety mechanisms in place to protect them from the emotional and physical burdens generated by military conflicts. At the end of the article, the researcher recommended deploying nurturing care to mitigate adverse stress responses in children.
The key implication of the article written by Murray (2018) is that more early childhood educators should recognize the complexity of working with child refugees and reduce the amount of stress they tend to experience. From basic guidance to caregivers and parents to stronger healthcare support networks, responsible actors should make sure that toxic stress can be mitigated through safe, consistent care based on empathy and positive emotions. Early childhood educators have to find new ways of buffering toxic stress because the pool of skills required to ensure the provision of nurturing care continues to expand. New treatment modalities could be developed to mediate the effects of war on child refugees and decrease the occurrence of serious illnesses during adulthood. In line with Murray (2018), cognitive behavioral therapy and parent-child interaction therapy could be utilized to address toxic stress in child refugees from across the globe.
Reference
Murray, J. S. (2018). Toxic stress and child refugees. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 23(1), 1-5.