When you are a mother abroad on business and are awoken at 7am with a barrage of phone calls from Ireland, your immediate reaction is to lose your head fretting about all the most terrifying eventualities that could have happened to your kids.
So, when you realise it’s just all the national media broadcasters in uproar today, after the tragic death of MMA fighter Joao Carvalho who died in Dublin yesterday – calling for your opinion on an interview you gave a few days ago about the effects of MMA on children, you relax… and breathe… momentarily.
The piece was written by my co-director and psychologist Arlene Naughten. Together, we are the people behind Sugru, an evidence-based therapy service for children dealing with difficulty – from chronic anxiety and low self-esteem to self-harm and sexuality issues. We are innovative in every way – we receive no government funding, we centre every single service we provide around The Child. If it’s not working for the child, then it’s not working. So, to ignore the frightening trend towards violent activities such as MMA and video-games and the detrimental effects they are having on children would be to deny children’s welfare. Research (cited in Perry, 2001) has shown that even children who live in a happy, functional home who are exposed to media violence such as MMA and computer games like Call of Duty are more likely to exhibit increased aggression and antisocial behaviour, perceive the world as more dangerous than it is, and experience desensitisation to future violence.
The recent glorification of Conor McGregor has increased children’s interest in this sport across Ireland, a past-time which is known as a “full-contact combat sport” and has an incidence rate of 228.7 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposures, more than any other. On Newstalk this morning, Arlene was asked how it was different from a sport like Taekwondo. As a health psychologist who regularly encourages Taekwondo for clients and as a former resident of South Korea where I attained my Black Belt, I can attest that there are very few similarities indeed. Taekwondo is a sport of respect, integrity and modesty where mindfulness, kinaesthetic awareness and emotional regulation are necessary for success. MMA is another tale.
Sugru’s point is simple: increased exposure to the media frenzy around brutal violence negatively impacts young children. The research backs it up, the experiences of our clients back it up and – you know what – common sense backs it up. It is our obligation as healthcare professionals to raise awareness around contentious issues such as this to allow parents to make INFORMED decision.
Want to hear more on this subject? Arlene will be on UTV Ireland: Live at 10pm tonight to speak more on the issue.
Do you have any miniature MMA fans in your home? Do you think it negatively impacts them? Let us know at [email protected].
Catch up with Lorraine and Arlene from Sugru.ie on twitter or Facebook.
