It is clear that parents are the mirror in which our children look. We serve as an example for many of their behaviors, from eating habits, exercise practice, and according to recent research, children also mimic our behavior in the face of pain.
Unconsciously, parents could teach our children how to deal with pain and illness, depending on the way we face it. A study with more than 5,000 children indicates that those children whose parents have chronic pain, of any kind, they are 50% more likely to suffer a nonspecific chronic painful disorder.
While there are genetic causes that predispose to pain and certain diseases, the study is based mostly on behavior when dealing with them.
Children often learn by imitation, so in the same way they can be encouraged to play sports if they see that their parents practice any, they can also be encouraged to smoke or drink if they see these habits regularly in their family. And the same goes for pain, which is also learned.
Children of parents with chronic pain are more prone to these symptoms. When analyzing the answers of the study, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of Norway, observed that children whose father or mother suffers chronic pain are at greater risk of having this symptom not linked to any disease than those in whose family nucleus There is no problem of this kind.
The value of the example we give to our children goes far beyond what we do consciously. Even in something that seems as subjective as pain we can be teaching them to tolerate it better or worse as we do. Curious, right?
