" Both social and physical factors can influence the behavior and development of the young child. .
When a homeless shelter or transitional housing of any type becomes home to a child, noise levels are increased, crowding is imminent, and chaos is an every-day occurrence. Home chaos has been related to poor cognitive competence, less adequate language development, greater likelihood of a more difficult temperament, reduced mastery motivation, and an increased risk of accidental injury in children. Chaotic home environments can interfere with parenting behavior by undermining parents" confidence in their parenting and by eliciting negative parental moods. Parents in chaotic homes have been shown to be less responsive, less involved, less likely to show objects to the child or to demonstrate how something works, less vocally stimulating and more likely to interfere with infant exploratory activities (Corapci and Wachs, 2002).
There are several potential factors that have been hypothesized to affect parenting behavior. Habituation is the most common factor. Here, the idea is that humans can only process a finite amount of stimulation. Increased noise, crowding, and home traffic, as may be present in transient housing situations, may be overwhelming to parents. They may react by withdrawing and decreasing sensitivity to children's needs as a technique to cope with the chaos. This withdrawal holds far-reaching consequences for child development.
Another environmental factor identified to affect parenting behavior is the fatigue that can be associated with continued exposure to noise and crowding. Parents suffering from fatigue may become less cooperative and more aggressive. Parents who live in chaotic environments may also perceive diminished control. They believe that noise and crowding are out of their control and may transfer these feelings into their parenting interactions with their children.