Risk Factors add to Aggressive Behavior, Violence in Children

Months afterwards, it is still difficult to comprehend what happened at Columbine. It's difficult imaging children killing other children. Or children being certified as adults to stand trial for a crime they have committed.

"Columbine drew attention because of where it was," says Dr. Don R. Cherek, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. "The magnitude of Columbine was shocking, but teen violence goes on all the time. And of course with Columbine, the boys were from a fairly affluent area.

"We were struck by how much the boys' families didn't know about them," says Dr. Cherek.

On average, between six and seven adolescents are murdered each day in the U.S. Most of these victims live in inner cities, and they come from what is thought to be the single greatest risk for youth violence - poverty. And yet, recent studies indicate that no one single factor causes a child to become antisocial.

Small children are expected to demonstrate some aggression as they play and interact with their peers. It's natural and part of the social fabric of a 4-year-old's world. But when that aggression comes to the attention of the adults in that child's environment - the teachers, parents and parents of other children - early intervention into the behavior is vitally important.

"There's nothing wrong, per se, with aggression in children," says Dr. Ernest Frugé. "But it's essential not to ignore it if it seems to be out of the ordinary by simply thinking it's a phase the child will grow out of."

Early intervention into inappropriate aggressive or violent behavior is so important because almost all research studies indicate that if a child continues the behavior until the age of 8, he will exhibit it into adolescence and adulthood. In fact, about half of children referred to mental health professionals for what is called conduct disorder continue to have conduct disorders into adulthood, and half of those have it severely enough that they meet the criteria for adult antisocial personality.

As with most illnesses, prevention of conduct disorder and inappropriate aggressive or violent behavior is the best and easiest method of treatment.

"This kind of behavior comes from a combination of factors," says Dr. Frugé. "Clearly, parenting strategies that are ineffective in teaching children how to behave is a significant factor.

"In all the families I have dealt with, I see parents that want to do a good job of parenting. These are parents who want the best for their children. They are simply behaving towards their children in the way that their parents behaved towards them. It can be difficult to change this pattern."

Dr. Frugé, a board member of Children's Protective Services, feels that the discipline a parent uses in the home can, in the long run, be a contributing factor to the perpetuation of aggression. Recent research supports the notion that at no time is physical punishment an appropriate method of disciplining a child.

"It's easy to see why parents use physical punishment: it stops the bad behavior immediately," says Dr. Frugé. "If you hit the child, the child will instantly stop what he's doing, but he also learns that hitting works. If the child is hit frequently enough, he'll begin to hit his friends. Later in life, he may well hit his wife and his children."

For Dr. Frugé and his colleagues in child psychology and development, discipline at home should be an opportunity to teach a child something meaningful about right and wrong. "Usually, a child misbehaves from anger. He's frustrated at not getting something or being forced to do something he doesn't want to do. This is an opportunity to talk with the child about frustration and what it means and about handling it."

"In a chaotic environment - and poverty certainly can make a household chaotic - impulsivity and aggression can be strategies of life," says Dr. Cherek. Twenty-30 percent of America's children live in poverty and, hence, are likely to be exposed to other correlates of poverty - abuse, alcohol and substance abuse, poor nutrition and broken families.

"The child in poverty is at greater risk for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), poor performance in school and association with other kids with the same set of problems," says Dr. Cherek."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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