By Eulalee Thompson, Staff Reporter 
Expectant mothers, living in
violence and chaos, will give birth to babies who are
already victims of violence.
LABOUR PAINS ends and a new mother,flushed with love, gazes admiringly at her buddle of joy. But this happy mother, with newborn in hand, may be cuddling a child who is already a victim of violence.
It is new research, which Dr. Earl Wright, Director of the Health Ministry's Mental Health Services, indicates that the pregnant woman's experience of violence triggers chemical reactions which can alter the development and function of the unborn child's brain cells.
"Exposure to stresses such as violence, living in a life-threatening environment, gunshots being fired, being involved in a motor vehicle accident, stimulates the circulation of norepinephrine and cortisol (brain chemicals) in an expectant mother's body which changes the set point of the baby's reaction to stress in the Limbic Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenalin system (the brain's nerve network). Therefore, before birth, the baby is already a victim of violence," he said.
This theory on perpetuation of violence in the society is not as accessible as other socio-economic explanations but Dr. Wright said that it is important to begin to implement interventions that consider the brain's development, and
its complex functions that direct human behaviour.
Each of the brain's nerve cells is apparently very sensitive to signals it picks up from the environment and this sensitivity to the environment starts in the uterus and continues into late adolescence and decreases later
in life.
Dr. Wright explained that any experience that alters the brain's signals while the child is developing actually alters their function and continued exposure to the traumatic experience could bring the signal to the point where it never returns to normal. The child is particularly vulnerable to these changes during the first eight months of life.
"When the body and the early representative of the outside world are fixed, repetitive patterns consistent with the various experiences allow the brain to create an internal representation of the external world. A child growing up with violence, chaos and unpredictability will develop neural and functional systems that reflect this disorganisation," he explained.
Local researchers, such as Samms-Vaughn, have pointed out that a number of children in Jamaica are exposed daily to violence, and life-threatening and traumatic events. The psychiatrist believes that as a result, these children are also being exposed to the altered functioning of the brain.
"Unlike a broken bone, the mal-development of neural systems mediating empathy, impulse control, anger, trauma and so on, resulting from violence during infancy and in adulthood is not readily observable. In some cases, the stress response systems do not return to the pre-event level of homeostasis. In these cases the signs and symptoms become so severe, persistent and disruptive that they become a disorder," he said.
When the brain cell functions are altered due to continued bombardment from the environment, response becomes maladaptive children begin to experience symptoms of anxiety, flash back, hypervigilance, depression and other signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and a bias toward aggression.
