Role of Parenting in psychological issues in children Children of today are given mobile phones, PCs, internet etc at a very young age. He or she has access to everything that can be a potential threat to them because they are at a vulnerable age where they are still developing and are easy to influence. These technologies are exposing them to media and content that is negatively impacting the children and the younger generations are a proof of it today.  What is addiction ?   Addiction refers to a condition wherein the person is unable to separate themselves from certain things, they need it, have increased tolerance to it that is they can keep increasing it’s consumption each time and if it is taken away from them they can’t live with that and may react very aggressively, lack of control etc.  Addiction is not only to substances like caffeine, alcohol, opioids etc but in this digital world also to the internet, social media, games etc. Globally 26.99% children are smartphone addicted 17.42% are social media addicted 14.22% have internet addiction, and 6.04% are game addicts, boys are mostly game and internet addicted (Meng et al., 2022). While according to The Hindu there are 1.5 crore children between age 10 to 17 who are addicted to substances in India (The Hindu, 2022). Addiction is a complex process but it usually occurs due to changes in brain chemistry. Whenever we do something rewarding, “feel good” chemicals are released in the body that makes one do that thing again and again. In case of addiction ( a disease) certain things like substances, spending money, sex etc can stimulate a release of these chemicals in great amounts and the person finds themselves wanting to do that thing, with time they no longer feel the same pleasure as before as then they increase its consumption and get stuck in a loop where they constantly repeat it while also increasing its intake.  Problem with addiction in children Addiction is especially very problematic in children because their brain is not completely developed so it is very easy for them to become addicted as well as it is more harmful as well as it can later traumatise them and develop into mental disorders. Today a child has a plethora of game options to choose from. While there are some games that are beneficial which are also used by psychologists on their clients for treatment and rehabilitation of certain disorders as these games help improve cognitive functioning. Similar effect of improvement in cognition is seen with activities like sports and arts (Rosyati et al., 2020). That is why for optimal development of a child games are also vital. It was seen in professional gamers that the brain volume and functionality in the insular region (region in the brain associated with language processing, taste, smell and interpersonal abilities) is increased (Rosyati et al., 2020). But mostly the games children are playing today are harming them because these are usually online games which glue them to their screens for long durations. This is impacting their physical health because there is lack of movement throughout the day which is very crucial at an age where they are growing and so their muscles need to be worked for a strong body. The problem with these games doesn’t end there, the children are addicted. They are spending hours playing online games. Research found that children and adolescents with game addiction show changed brain structure and function and have limited control on their impulses (Rosyati et al., 2020).  They have phones and PCs which means they must also have access to the internet. Children are living virtually more than in real life, if they want to talk to their friends they would prefer texting them rather than meeting them. They spend hours on the internet and social media but they don’t have friends and they don’t know how to make friends in the real world, they compare themselves with people online and feel jealous or envious, acquire insecurities, feel lonely, feel less worthy. Internet addiction affects a child’s physical and mental health by interfering with their exercise time and sleep time (Zhou, Zhu et al., 2022). Not only this but high-risk Internet users don’t have proper diet quality and also ill dietary behaviour which can hinder in healthy growth and development of the individual (Kim, Park et al. 2010 ). Internet addiction is associated with higher sympathetic activity that indicates increased heart rate and lower parasympathetic activity (Pi-Chu Lin et al., 2014).  There are a lot of adverse effects of addiction problems which can be categorised into : Physical health :  They are at a higher risk of developing health issues like due to their lack of activities. They are at a risk of getting obese, having poor eyesight etc. They are also exposed to radiation coming from these devices for long periods of time. They also suffer from insomnia.  Mental health : They are more likely to be lonely, anxious, stressed etc and have lower self esteem due to overconsumption of media online. They can feel they are lacking behind. In severe cases they may develop depression and anxiety disorder.  Social health : Due to spending the majority of their time indoors virtually, they lack social skills, they won’t be able to build social bonds or maintain them. In severe cases they can develop disorders like social conduct disorder, antisocial behaviour etc.  Academics : Many researches have shown that addicted children suffer academically. They are unable to score well, pay attention in the class, problem solve etc.  Role of parenting in child development We know children grow up looking at their parents so parenting style and family environment matters for raising a healthy and happy child.  The major types  of parenting styles are authoritarian, authoritative, permissive and neglectful. Authoritarian parenting style is in which the parents exercise complete control over their children with no flexibility for child’s emotions, strict rules, no chance for children

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MIND AND  HEALTH We have often heard stress can cause weight gain, stress can cause acne, stress affects a female’s menstrual cycle and so on. It is established that the mental state and physical health of a person are affected by one another. But in this article we shall dive deeper to understand how that works.  What is health? The World Health Organization or WHO defines health as “ a state of complete physical, mental, social well being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”  WHO (World Health Organisation) states that, not having a disease or illness is not the only criterion to classify one as healthy or unhealthy, one must also be in a state of being physically, mentally and socially fit.  It further defines health as a dynamic state that is it keeps changing and is not always constant for anyone.  Dimensions of health Health is multidimensional which means it has many components to it. In order to be healthy one must be fit in all dimensions of health. Following are some dimensions of health:  Physical health – It includes absence of any external injuries, chronic diseases as well as a fit body. Physical health is taken care of by doing regular exercise, taking proper diet and having proper sleep.  Mental health – It includes having normal functioning cognition, ability to regulate thoughts and absence of mental disorders, excessive negative and distorted thoughts, etc.  Emotional health – It includes having the ability to understand one’s emotions and feelings and being able to control them rather than being controlled by them. It also means absence of psychological disorders and excessive or prolonged stress, etc.  Social health –  It includes having the ability to make and maintain social relationships and having basic social skills required to function in society, like communication skills, social behaviour, conflict resolution etc.  Spiritual health – It includes having a sense of meaning and purpose in life and hence motivation to live. It also includes having an identity of own. People lacking identity face existential crisis.  Vocational health – It includes having a healthy attitude towards work that is having ambitions, motivation to work, career choice and satisfaction and good performance.  Interdependence of dimensions of health All the dimensions of health are interconnected. This is a very crucial fact. As if one suffers in a particular dimension of health the other dimensions will also be affected. For example a socially unfit person may also suffer emotionally due to lack of meaningful relationships. This will in turn affect their spiritual, physical and mental health which may further affect vocational health as well.  Therefore mental health and physical health are connected, making sense why stress causes so many physical health related issues.  Psychoneuroimmunology Psychoneuroimmunology is a study dealing with the role of psychological processes and neurological processes in immunity.  Immunity refers to an organism’s capacity to fight against foreign agents (antigens), or germs when they enter the organism’s body and help heal wounds and infections. Immune system of an organism consists of cells, proteins produced by these cells, and organs.  Hence for a healthy, strong body good immunity is essential.  According to psychoneuroimmunology, a person’s mind (emotions, thoughts etc) can influence their immunity.  Understanding nervous system :  CNS or Central Nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. It controls everything in our body. It is responsible for maintaining homeostasis (internal balance) in the body by regulating temperature, blood pressure, heart rate etc. To do so the endocrine system and CNS need to communicate. Endocrine system consists of ductless glands that produce hormones (chemicals) and directly release it into the bloodstream.  The body and brain communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals or messages. The brain sends electrical and chemical signals through neurons. The electrical signals move forward in a neuron and from one neuron to another due to electrical and chemical gradients present between the intracellular region and extracellular region of the neuron. This depolarizes (changes the intracellular region of the neuron’s charge from negative to positive) the region in the neuron (axon). When the electrical signal reaches the end of a neuron, neurotransmitters are released by synaptic knobs of the neuron. These are chemical messengers. They are the ones that carry signals to muscles, glands or other neurons and make communication possible.  Understanding immune system  :  The immune system attacks any foreign agent that it doesn’t identify as its own and starts to kill it to avoid any harm to the body. But the immune system sometimes also attacks unharmful agents as well like in case of allergies and also with transplants and sometimes it could be overactive causing autoimmune diseases which are dangerous.  So whenever a foreign agent enters the body and comes in contact with an immune cell, it attaches with its receptors which induce changes in the cell. When the foreign agent attaches to immune cells that are cytokine producing cells, cytokines will be produced. Cytokines are proteins responsible for starting and stopping inflammation and bind with receptors of other cells and help in cell proliferation, direct immune cells to the site of infection, direct immune cells to produce antibodies to kill the pathogen and they also store this memory about the pathogen and how to kill it, so that if it enters the body again shortly, the body can kill it and this time it is quicker to respond.  Understanding connection between immune system, endocrine system and nervous system: The interaction between the Endocrine, immune, and nervous system is called the immune neuroendocrine network. The brain can control the immune system through the neuroendocrine network or by the autonomic nervous system which produces chemicals which bind to immune cells, similarly the immune system can communicate with the brain by using its chemical messengers (Ader, 2001). The chemical messengers used by the immune system to communicate with the brain are cytokines – when cytokines reach the brain, they are able to signal the brain that