Early parenting interventions or programmes to help parents and caregivers develop positive parenting skills, can prevent maltreatment of children. These can also enhance the relationship between parents and caregivers with children. This is according to the guideline published by the World Health Organization last year which strongly recommends such interventions. In Bhutan, the national referral hospital conducts parenting classes every Friday for parents and caregivers visiting the mother and child hospital.
A psychiatrist at the national referral hospital says early intervention for parents helps in improving the family dynamic and provides an alternative to parents on how they can parent better.
Usually, four types of parenting styles such as authoritative parenting, neglectful parenting, authoritarian parenting and permissive parenting are taught in the Friday classes. These parenting styles are categorised depending on the demand and expectation parents have for their children and the level of love and care they provide to their children.
According to the psychiatrist, adolescents with some form of mental health conditions visiting the hospital are those subjected to authoritarian parenting, permissive parenting and neglectful parenting.
Authoritarian parenting is when parents or caregivers have very high demands on the child, but very low love and care is expressed towards them, whereby a child develops resilience but may not have a sense of identity.
In contrast, permissive parenting, which is gaining momentum among parents nowadays, expresses adequate love and care, but does not expect and demand much from their child. This leads to a child developing a sense of identity but with low resilience.
Meanwhile, neglectful parenting neither demands and expects anything from a child nor provides love and care. This type of parenting may lead to substance abuse or some form of mental health issues in children.
Dr Puja Subedi, a psychiatrist at JDWNRH said “The best type of parenting that the studies have shown is called authoritative parenting where the child has demands on them, they need to perform certain things, they need to do the household chores, and they have rules and regulations at home. But at the same time there is love, regard and care. Their efforts are acknowledged, when they do well they are rewarded with things, even with love and care they know they are loved.”
However, she says that there is no such thing as perfect parenting and that the parents and caregivers just need to make the right kind of effort.
According to the World Health Organization, childhood, adolescence and young adulthood are critical stages of life for mental health and well-being.
Likewise, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development along with The PEMA also conduct parent education programmes in schools to foster the mental well-being of students.
Karma Wangchuk, Chief Programme Officer of Career Education and Counselling Division under the Department of Education Programmes said “We have a prescribed parenting programme for the schools, but sometimes, that might not actually be required for that particular school. For example, in schools the requirement would be more for substance use. So, they would focus more on substance use. Some schools focus more on domestic violence, some schools for absenteeism. So, considering the location and the need of the school, schools try to contextualise the parenting programme.”
He added that the programme can only be conducted only twice in boarding schools as parents do not live near schools, unlike in urban areas.
Meanwhile, people say that though violent punishment should be avoided while parenting.
Yeshi Wangchuk, a resident said “I think parents need an awareness programme. As parents are human, they have different parenting methods, some are very strict and some are lenient. But being strict does not work with children nowadays. Some become more rebellious if you act stricter. However, if there is mutual communication, then children do obey the parents.”
Tashi Zangmo, a parent said “When it comes to children, time is of essence. If we can afford it, it is best if we give them 100 per cent of our time. Even when we tend to them, it is not good to impose too much discipline on them, but it is not good to be too lenient either. ”
According to the National Health Survey 2023, more than 80 per cent of children aged 1-14 years were subjected to some form of violent discipline from over 5,700 children surveyed.
Among them, about 18.3 per cent faced severe physical punishment and over 73.5 per cent went through psychological aggression.
Only about 14.4 per cent were dealt with non-violent punishment method.
Singye Dema
Edited by Kipchu
