Many parents have been there—feeling overwhelmed when their child’s behavior is pushing them to the limit. New research suggests that a different approach can work wonders.
When parents respond to a child's challenging behavior with warmth and praise, it can do more than just improve their conduct; it can actually change how their brain works.
A new study from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London has shown that evidence-based parenting programs lead to significant changes in brain function in children with behavioral challenges. Published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, this research is the first to provide neurological evidence for the effectiveness of these programs, emphasizing the importance of early intervention.
How the brain responds to positive parenting
To understand the neurological impact of positive parenting, researchers studied 78 boys aged five to 10 with behavioral problems. These boys, along with a control group of 35 other children, completed a reward-learning task while undergoing a functional MRI scan.
After completing a parenting program, the boys were categorized as "improvers" or "persistent" based on whether their antisocial behavior had improved. All the children then repeated the task and scan.
The results were remarkable. The insula cortex region of the brain in the "improvers" group began to respond more like that of typically developing children, especially when they were expecting a reward. Other brain areas involved in decision-making and learning—such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus—also showed more normalized activity in the boys who improved.
Beyond brain function, the study found that the parenting program also changed how the boys with improved behavior learned from their experiences. They became slower to change their expectations after a single good or bad outcome, which may lead to more balanced decisions over time. The boys were also less likely to act impulsively and became more sensitive to the difference between reward and punishment.
This research highlights the profound impact that positive parenting can have on a child's development. It offers a hopeful message for families, demonstrating that warmth and patience can create lasting changes in both behavior and the brain.
Picture: Positive parenting has positive effects (Gemini)
