2023-11-14 12:10:15
A Mbenjele camp in the Congo rainforest – DR NIKHIL CHAUDHARY
MADRID, 14 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Babies in hunter-gatherer groups receive attentive care and physical contact for about nine hours a day by up to fifteen different caregivers.
Research led by an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Cambridge has found that babies and young children in contemporary groups that fit this classification may be psychologically prepared to thrive. with high levels of “sensitive care” and personal attention.
Dr. Nikhil Chaudhary says that, for the vast majority of our species’ evolutionary history, the mothers probably had much more support than they currently have in Western countries.
“For more than 95% of our evolutionary history we lived as hunter-gatherers. Therefore, contemporary hunter-gatherer societies may offer clues about whether there are certain parenting systems that babies and their mothers can adapt to psychologically,” Chaudhary said.
However, caution should be exercised before jumping to conclusions, Chaudhary maintains. “Many aspects of our psychology have evolved to be flexible rather than better suited to a specific way of life. The extent to which this is true for parenting is still debated.”
For the research, Dr. Chaudhary and his colleague Dr. Salali they worked with Mbendjele BaYaka hunter-gatherers residing in the Republic of the Congo and have been analyzing and interpreting the findings together with a child psychiatrist, Dr. Annie Swanepoel.
In the new article, published in Developmental Psychologyresearchers say children may be “evolutionarily primed” to expect exceptionally high levels of physical contact and care, as well as personal attention from several caregivers in addition to their biological parents.
When considering the implications for Western countries, the authors highlight that priority must be given to the provision of high-quality, affordable childcare services that go beyond effective supervision. Higher caregiver-to-child ratios and the stability of key caregivers in daycare and institutional care may be important in minimizing risks to well-being.
According to the researchers, in the hunter-gatherer communities observed, care goes far beyond parents. Children often have more than 10 caregivers and occasionally 20 or more, and typically a mother’s support system would help respond to more than half of her baby’s crying episodes, which can be one of the most challenging aspects. of raising children.
“Supporting mothers also has numerous benefits for children, such as reducing the risk of neglect and abuse, protecting against family adversity, and improving maternal well-being. which in turn improves maternal care“said Dr. Swanepoel.
The study found that it was common for older children and adolescents to be highly involved in caring for babies, further supporting mothers and giving these young caregivers valuable experience. The researchers speculate that this could increase their confidence as caregivers and perhaps offer some protection against the anxieties that new parents often experience.
The authors also point out that in Western societies it is common for childcare to be used simply to allow parents to work, but they insist that childcare should give parents a real break. They maintain that throughout the history and prehistory of humanity, Parents have never been under the pressure they are now in terms of lack of support.
“The nuclear family system in the West is a world away from the communal living conditions of hunter-gatherer societies like the Mbendjele,” Chaudhary said.
The ratio of caregivers to children was greater than five to one in the hunter-gatherer groups observed, while in UK nurseries each adult is responsible for numerous children. In fact, regulations on adult-to-child ratios in early education settings have recently been eased for two-year-olds per caregiver of five children, the opposite of what researchers observed in Mbendjele communities.
Despite the large number of caregivers, the study suggests that children can adapt to having a stable set of primary caregivers within this broader network. Mbendjele children benefit from the complementary care of many people, but they retain access to personalized care and consistency from a handful of key caregivers.
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