A Dundee research scientist has thrown her support behind ARCHIE’s Tayside appeal saying it is vital young children remain in contact with their parents while in hospital.
Dr Suzanne Zeedyk made the comments ahead of a charity show which examines how fear and love can affect a child’s mental health, brain development and long term happiness.
She also highlighted research which shows babies who suffer from a lack of love between their birth and the age of three could end up with a brain half the size of those who grow up in a more comforting environment.
The former Dundee University lecturer said a child spending as little as a week in hospital separated from parents could have a lifelong impact on their mental wellbeing.
She said: “This is a really important area, and it is something which has an impact on so many parts of our lives.
“We have had the the science of attachment theory for many decades, and yet it remains fairly unknown among the wider public.
“That is why I gave up my job at the university and started a mission to tell more people about this important subject.
“This show will be funny – it will be an entertaining look at something which can be incredibly serious.”
Attachment theory suggests babies require contact with other humans, particularly their mother, to feel safe.
If their discomfort is ignored – for example, if they are left crying with no response – it can have a long term effect on how they interact with other people.
The first investigations into this looked at children who had been affected by strict visiting time rules enforced in British hospitals during the 1950s, when they would be allowed to see their parents for an hour a week.
Suzanne added: “Brains are not developed a birth – they are immature.
“While other organs will grow, they tend not to change form.
“Between birth, even conception, and three-year-old, brains can change in a major way by the environments and circumstances they face.”
The issue of brain development in babies and children was brought into focus by a 12-year study conducted by Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital.
It found the brains of Romanian orphans stopped developing properly after they were abandoned in Bucharest institutions.
Their white matter – the part of the brain which allows neurons to communicate – was significantly damaged by their ordeal leading to poor language skills and decreased mental ability.
Suzanne is now hosting a show, raising money for ARCHIE, which discusses these ideas in a light-hearted and funny way.
She says ARCHIE’s campaign at the Tayside Children’s Hospital will help protect the mental health of young patients.
The show, entitled Teddy Bears Rule, will be held on Thursday 3 November at 7.30pm in The Steps Theatre at Central Library.
Tickets are available at Groucho’s and at www.connectedbaby.net.
