Aggressive Children Research Articles

Developmental deviations in happy victimization across early childhood predict behavioral adjustment in middle childhood

AbstractThis study examined whether the development of happy victimizing (HV) from early to middle childhood predicted prosocial and aggressive behaviors 3 years later. Participants included 150 children (50% female, Mage at study onset = 4.53 years) and their parents at four annual time points. At each time point, semi‐structured interviews were conducted to assess children's emotional expectations after committing hypothetical transgressions. Child and parent reports of children's prosocial behaviors and aggression were provided at the beginning and end of the study. Children who experienced faster declines in HV reported higher prosocial behaviors 3 years later, controlling for initial levels of prosocial behaviors. Children who exhibited increases or lesser declines in HV reported higher aggression at the study end. The development of HV was not related significantly to parent reports of prosocial behaviors and aggression in middle childhood. Findings confirm theorizing on the normative developmental trajectory of HV and suggest that deviations in HV across early childhood may partially explain later behavioral adjustment.

Effect of Sand PlayTherapy onAggression and Emotional Adjustment of Children with Hearing Impairment

Background and Aim: Sand Play Therapy (SPT) is a psychotherapy and nonverbal method used for people with trauma, disabilities, and distress. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of SPT on aggression and emotional adjustment of children with a hearing impairment aged 5–7 years. Methods: : In this quasi-experiment study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group, 30 children aged 5–7 years with hearing impairment participated. They were randomly assigned into two groups: control and experimental. The research instruments were Sinha and Singh adjustment questionnaire and the Shahim aggression questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis. Results: There were statistically significant differences (score decrease) between the two study groups after the SPT in terms of aggression (p<0.05) and the emotional adjustment of children (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that SPT could decrease aggression and improve emotional adjustment in children with hearing loss. This method can be used to rehabilitate these children. Keywords: Hearing impairment; emotional adjustment; aggression; sand play therapy

Teacher professional development for managing antisocial behaviors: a qualitative study to highlight status, limitations and challenges in educational institutions in the metropolis city of Pakistan

IntroductionA community cannot avoid the frustrating problem of antisocial behavior, which consists of actions that violate traditions or standards. To deal with the antisocial behavior and aggression in children, a variety of techniques and interventions have been proposed and applied throughout the world. Teachers can overcome antisocial behavior in educational institutions through professional development programs. In Pakistan, there are few studies that focus on teachers’ professional development in behavior management, which should be investigated.MethodsA qualitative research study examined teacher professional development courses aimed at improving classroom management skills and controlling antisocial behaviors by collecting information from instructors. This approach was taken because this study aims to identify teacher educators’ experiences related to antisocial and aggression control training in the school setting. In addition, the limitations and challenges associated with such development programs are revealed through semi-structured interviews.ResultsResearchers reported major challenges related to such trainings include resistance and unwillingness of school authorities and teachers to participate in such trainings, as well as lack of resources and finances.DiscussionTo ensure that teacher training is effective and leads to the development of teacher skills and improvement of student behavior, researchers recommend implementing evidence-based intervention programs with ongoing monitoring by a trained teacher specialist. It is also recommended that curricula be standardized and in-service training results be empirically verified.

Effects of sports intervention on aggression in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To explore the impact of sports on aggression in children and adolescents and analyze whether different conditions in the intervention, such as type of sports, or intervention duration, have different influences on the effect of interventions. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022361024). We performed a systematic search of Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane library, Embase and Scopus databases from database inception to 12 October 2022 for all studies written in English. Studies were included if they met the following PICO criteria. All analyses were carried out using the Review Manager 5.3 Software. We summarized aggression, hostility and anger scores using SMDs. Summary estimates with 95% confidence intervals were pooled using DerSimonian-Laird random effects model or fixed effects model according to between-study heterogeneity. A total of 15 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review. The overall mean effect size indicated that sport interventions was associated with lower aggression (SMD = -0.37, 95% CI [-0.69 to -0.06], P=0.020; I2=88%). Subgroup analyses showed that non-contact sports were associated with lower aggression (SMD = -0.65, 95% CI [-1.17 to -0.13], P=0.020; I2 = 92%) but high-contact sports were not (SMD = -0.15, 95% CI [-0.55 to 0.25], P=0.470; I2 = 79%). In addition, when intervention duration <6 months, sport interventions was associated with lower aggression (SMD = -0.99, 95% CI [-1.73 to -0.26], P=0.008; I2 = 90%) and when intervention duration ≥ 6 months, sport interventions was not associated with lower aggression (SMD = -0.08, 95% CI [-0.44 to -0.28], P=0.660; I2 = 87%). This review confirmed that sports intervention can reduce the aggression of children and adolescents. We suggested that schools can organize young people to participate in low-level, non-contact sports to reduce the occurrence of bullying, violence and other aggression-related adverse events. Additional studies are needed to determine which other variables are associated with aggression in children and adolescents, in order to develop a more detailed and comprehensive intervention programme to reduce their aggression.

Machine Learning-Based Aggression Detection in Children with ADHD Using Sensor-Based Physical Activity Monitoring.

Aggression in children is highly prevalent and can have devastating consequences, yet there is currently no objective method to track its frequency in daily life. This study aims to investigate the use of wearable-sensor-derived physical activity data and machine learning to objectively identify physical-aggressive incidents in children. Participants (n = 39) aged 7 to 16 years, with and without ADHD, wore a waist-worn activity monitor (ActiGraph, GT3X+) for up to one week, three times over 12 months, while demographic, anthropometric, and clinical data were collected. Machine learning techniques, specifically random forest, were used to analyze patterns that identify physical-aggressive incident with 1-min time resolution. A total of 119 aggression episodes, lasting 7.3 ± 13.1 min for a total of 872 1-min epochs including 132 physical aggression epochs, were collected. The model achieved high precision (80.2%), accuracy (82.0%), recall (85.0%), F1 score (82.4%), and area under the curve (89.3%) to distinguish physical aggression epochs. The sensor-derived feature of vector magnitude (faster triaxial acceleration) was the second contributing feature in the model, and significantly distinguished aggression and non-aggression epochs. If validated in larger samples, this model could provide a practical and efficient solution for remotely detecting and managing aggressive incidents in children.

Hostile interpretation as a transdiagnostic factor for cooccurring anxiety in boys with aggressive behavior problems

AbstractMany children with aggressive behavior problems also suffer from anxiety. This cooccurrence may perhaps be explained by transdiagnostic factors. Identifying these factors seems crucial, as they may be important targets to treat these cooccurring problems effectively. This two‐study paper investigates whether hostile interpretation of others’ intentions is a transdiagnostic factor for cooccurring aggression and anxiety problems, examining two samples of boys in middle childhood. We assessed boys’ aggression and anxiety using teacher‐report in Study 1 (N = 84, Mage = 10.10), and parent‐report in Study 2 (N = 115, Mage = 10.55). In both studies, we assessed hostile interpretation using vignettes describing ambiguous provocations by peers. Both studies revealed a strong association between aggression and anxiety problems, underscoring the necessity to examine factors that can explain this cooccurrence. However, in neither study was this association reduced when we added hostile interpretation to the model, suggesting that hostile interpretation did not function as a transdiagnostic factor in our samples. One possible explanation for these findings is that hostile interpretation predicts both aggression and anxiety problems, but in different children. We, therefore, encourage scholars to conduct more research to explain the high comorbidity of aggression and anxiety problems in children. Future research should also examine hostile interpretation as predictor or transdiagnostic factor for aggression and anxiety problems in more diverse population, including girls and other age groups.

Prevalence of Aggressive Behavior in Greek Elementary School Settings from Teachers’ Perspectives

The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of bullying in Greek elementary schools and to study the risk factors that lead to bullying episodes. A structured questionnaire was given to 221 teachers of elementary schools and 71 kindergarten teachers from urban and rural Greek schools. They were asked to note the forms and the frequency of aggressive behaviors that they had witnessed during the school years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, as well as the sociodemographic characteristics of the aggressive children involved. Statistical analyses of the data were conducted, and the obtained results show that specific forms of aggression are significantly correlated with gender and low academic performance. In addition, there is no form of aggressive behavior that is associated with the perpetrator's age, nationality or family status. Further, the results of the factor analysis revealed four dominant factors in the aggressive behavior observed by teachers. The forms of bullying and the prevailing factors of aggressive behavior that dominate in Greek school settings are reported in the present study. Furthermore, a novel evaluation tool for teachers could potentially be developed based on the results of the present study.

Emotion recognition links to reactive and proactive aggression across childhood: A multi-study design.

Difficulty recognizing negative emotions is linked to aggression in children. However, it remains unclear how certain types of emotion recognition (insensitivities vs. biases) are associated with functions of aggression and whether these relations change across childhood. We addressed these gaps in two diverse community samples (study 1: aged 4 and 8; N = 300; study 2: aged 5 to 13, N = 374). Across studies, children performed a behavioral task to assess emotion recognition (sad, fear, angry, and happy facial expressions) while caregivers reported children's overt proactive and reactive aggression. Difficulty recognizing fear (especially in early childhood) and sadness was associated with greater proactive aggression. Insensitivity to anger - perceiving angry faces as showing no emotion - was associated with increased proactive aggression, especially in middle-to-late childhood. Additionally, greater happiness bias - mistaking negative emotions as being happy - was consistently related to higher reactive aggression only in early childhood. Together, difficulty recognizing negative emotions was related to proactive aggression, however, the strength of these relations varied based on the type of emotion and developmental period assessed. Alternately, difficulty determining emotion valence was related to reactive aggression in early childhood. These findings demonstrate that distinct forms of emotion recognition are important for understanding functions of aggression across development.

Intonation and Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems

The study analyzes the role of intonation in communication with children with emotional and behavioral problems. Usually the intonation is identified with one of its elements – the tone of the speech. It is considered how the change in the volume of the tone (intonation) affects the perception of information and how intonation can be used to achieve different goals in communication. The possibility for realization of the communicative intention through the use of different tone (volume) of the verbal message for children with behavioral and emotional disorders has been traced. An individual case study of a child with emotional and conduct disorders has been developed within intervention experiencing anxiety and aggression by using four strategies of interaction: normal tone of voice/positive message; increased tone of voice/positive message; normal tone of voice/negative message and increased tone of voice/negative message. Results reaffirm the inadequate interpretation of language messages among children with emotional and behavioral disorders and outline the influence of intonation on the behavior of children as phrases uttered with increased tone raise the aggression and anxiety of children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Teaching Parents to Code Disruptive Behavior: A Comparison of Methods

Clinicians who work with youth frequently rely on parents to contribute information via interview or questionnaires. These approaches may obscure precise measurement of behavior change. Training parents to observe specific target behaviors in the natural setting may be a superior strategy, but formal coder training for parents is not well-established. The current study compared parent accuracy in coding child aggression and noncompliance with the Behavior Record Card (BRC) under Standard (written instructions) and Enhanced (active teaching) training conditions. Study results highlight the differential impact of training, limitations of self-directed coder-training, and the need for research on integrating parent observations in treatment.

Social Information Processing Theory Indicators of Child Abuse Risk: Cultural Comparison of Mothers from Peru and the United States

Much of the research conducted on social information processing (SIP) factors predictive of child abuse risk has been conducted in North America, raising questions about how applicable such models may be in other cultures. Based on the premise that the parents' child abuse risk is affected by both risk and protective factors, the current study considered how specific SIP socio-cognitive risk factors (acceptability of parent-child aggression as a discipline approach; empathic ability; frustration tolerance) as well as social support satisfaction as a resource related to child abuse risk by comparing a sample of mothers in Peru (n = 102) with a sample of mothers in the U.S. (n = 180). Using multi-group regression analyses, the current investigation identified that lower empathy was more salient for the abuse risk of U.S. mothers relative to the salience of lower frustration tolerance for Peruvian mothers. Although effects were observed for the approval of parent-aggression for the child abuse risk of both samples, such approval did not appear to be related to the Peruvian mothers' actual use of such tactics. When considered alongside the socio-cognitive risk factors, greater social support satisfaction did not significantly relate to child abuse risk for either sample. The findings are discussed in reference to future cross-cultural work that may need to better examine how factors may or may not be universal to craft more culturally informed child abuse prevention programs.

Deep brain stimulation may be a viable option for resistant to treatment aggression in children with intellectual disability.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical technique used to manage aggression in patients who do not improve despite the use of appropriate drug treatment. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of DBS on aggressive behavior refractory to the pharmacological and behavioral treatment of patients with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). A follow-up was conducted on a cohort of 12 patients with severe ID, undergoing DBS in posteromedial hypothalamic nuclei; evaluated with the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS), before the intervention, at 6, 12, and 18 months of medical follow-up. After the surgical procedure, there was a significant reduction in the aggressiveness of patients in the follow-up medical evaluation at 6months (t=10.14; p < 0.01), 12 months (t=14.06; p < 0.01), and 18 months (t=15.34; p < 0.01), respect to the initial measurement; with a very large effect size (6months: d=2.71; 12 months: d=3.75; 18 months: d=4.10). From 12 months onward, emotional control stabilized and is sustained at 18 months (t=1.24; p > 0.05). DBS in posteromedial hypothalamic nuclei may be an effective treatment for the management of aggression in patients with ID refractory to pharmacological treatment.

Social information processing, normative beliefs about aggression and parenting in children with mild intellectual disabilities and aggressive behavior

BackgroundHigh levels of aggressive behavior in children with mild intellectual disabilities to borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF) are associated with deviant social information processing (SIP) steps. The current study investigated deviant SIP as a mediating mechanism linking both children’s normative beliefs about aggression and parenting to aggressive behavior in children with MID-BIF. Additionally, the mediating role of normative beliefs about aggression in linking parenting and deviant SIP was investigated. Methods140 children with MID-BIF in community care in the Netherlands, their parent(s) or caretaker(s), and their teacher participated in this cross-sectional study. Structural equation modeling was performed to test mediations. Models were run separately for parent and teacher reports of aggression, and included three deviant SIP steps (interpretation, response generation, response selection). ResultsA total indirect effect through deviant SIP steps was found from normative beliefs about aggression to teacher-reported aggression, but not to parent-reported aggression. An indirect effect was found from positive parenting through normative beliefs about aggression to deviant SIP. ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that, next to deviant SIP and parenting, normative beliefs about aggression may be a relevant intervention target for children with MID-BIF and aggressive behavior.

SERVICE LEARNING IN PREPARING STUDENTS TO ENSURE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY OF SCHOOLCHILDREN

Relevance. The article substantiates the relevance of the search for practice-oriented technologies in the training of university students. The subject of the research is service learning technology, which combines academic training and practical activities of future teachers in specific situations in the interests of people in need of support. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the potential of service learning technology in preparing students to ensure the psychological safety of schoolchildren with limited health opportunities.&#x0D; Research methods: literature analysis on the research problem, data systematization, survey, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, including percentage analysis. Study participants: students of T.G. Shevchenko Pridnestrovian State University (Republic of Moldova).&#x0D; The results of the study. The awareness of students about the service learning method and their readiness to master it is revealed. The essence of the concept of service learning is revealed, the experience of its application in foreign and domestic universities is described, the possibility of its use in the work of preparing students to ensure the psychological safety of schoolchildren with disabilities is substantiated. The model of formation of students’ readiness to ensure the psychological safety of schoolchildren with disabilities is presented.&#x0D; Conclusion. The practical significance of the research is expressed in the creation of a comfortable and safe educational environment declared for the priority purposes of the state. Service learning technology ensures the effective formation of professional competencies among students to ensure the psychological safety of children with disabilities and involves the use of trainings, games, exercises to relieve anxiety and aggressiveness of children, identifying threats and risks of psychological safety in real conditions of specific situations.

Fathering and children's relational aggression: Moderating effects of children's temperament and gender.

In this exploratory study, we analyzed the contribution of fathering to relational aggression (RA) in middle childhood and the moderating role of children's temperament and gender. Participants (N = 234; 46% girls) were attending public elementary school (mean age = 8.15; SD = 1.23) in middle-class neighborhoods in two Spanish cities. Fathers provided information about their parenting practices using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, parents gave data on their child's temperament using the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire and children provided information about their peers' aggressive behavior using the Mini Direct Indirect Aggression Inventory. Fathering dimensions considered were Authoritative Cold, Authoritative Warm, Physical Punishment, and Insecurity; temperament dimensions considered were negative affect (NA), effortful control (EC), activity (AC), and shyness (SH). Gender, fathering, and temperament dimensions additively accounted for a significant proportion of the variance observed in RA. Several significant interactions suggested that the effect of fathering on RA was moderated by temperament and, in some cases, by children's gender. NA increased the potential risk of Authoritative Cold fathering (CF) and, in boys only, of Insecure fathering, while EC potentiated the protective effect of Authoritative-Warm fathering and, in boys only, buffered the risk effect of CF. SH buffered the risk effect of CF and decreased the protective effect of Authoritative Warm fathering on RA. Lastly, AC also buffered the risk effect of CF on RA. Results are discussed in light of the protective or the vulnerability role of temperament and in relation to models that explain sensitivity differences to environmental contexts.

Parenting Practices and Aggression in Childhood Behaviour Disorders

Objective: To determine the association between parenting practices and aggression in children with behaviour disorders.&#x0D; Study Design: Cross-sectional study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore Pakistan, from Nov 2020 to Jan 2021.&#x0D; Methodology: Parents of children and eighty-five children between the ages of 3 to 12 years with the diagnosis of behaviour disorders (autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, social communication disorder) and showing aggressive behaviour were enrolled. The multidimensional assessment of parenting scale was used to assess positive(proactive parenting, positive reinforcement, warmth and supportiveness) and negative (hostility, lax control, physical control) parenting practices. The modified overt aggression scale was used to assess aggression, including verbal aggression,aggression against property, auto-aggression (towards self), and physical aggression (towards others). Correlation and multiple regression analysis were done.&#x0D; Results: Among negative practices, it was found that leniency and inconsistent parenting (lax control) was significant positive predictor of aggression (p&lt;0.01) in children with behaviour disorders. Supportiveness was a significant negative predictor of verbal aggression (p&lt;0.01), while physical control positively predicted total aggression (p&lt;0.05). Among positive parenting practices, positive reinforcement decreased auto aggression (p&lt;0.05) in children with behaviour disorders. Lower maternal education correlated with more aggressive behaviours (p&lt;0.05) in these children.&#x0D; Conclusion: Negative parenting practices may lead to aggression in children with behaviour disorders. While positive reinforcement by parents may encourage less self-harm in these children and help improve their behaviour problems.

Trajectories of physical and relational aggression across early childhood: Relations with peer risk factors.

The goal of the current study was to examine trajectories of relational and physical aggression in early childhood and evaluate peer predictors of these trajectories (i.e., peer rejection, relational victimization, and physical victimization). The study spanned three-time points (T1 in the spring, T2 in the fall, and T3 in the spring) in early childhood (N = 300; 44.0% girls; Mage = 44.70 months, SD = 4.38; 3.0% African American/Black, 7.6% Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1.0% Hispanic/Latinx, 11.3% multiracial, 62.1% White, and 15.0% missing/unknown). Observations of peer victimization and teacher report of peer rejection were collected at T1, and teacher report of aggression was collected at all time points. Results from piecewise latent growth models demonstrated that both forms of aggression decreased from T1 to T2 as children entered a new classroom and increased from T2 to T3 as they remained in that classroom. The increase in physical aggression from T2 to T3 was only significant for boys. Peer rejection at T1 emerged as a predictor of both intercepts and slopes from T1 to T2, and physical victimization predicted the physical aggression intercept and physical aggression slope from T1 to T2. Children high on these peer risk variables had higher initial levels of aggression, followed by a greater decrease in aggression from T1 to T2. Results underscore the importance of studying incremental change in aggression in early childhood and suggest that children who experience negative peer treatment have greater fluctuations in aggression over time.

Aggression in School Students: An Intervention Focused Approach

Introduction: The present research was conducted as a part of a series of multicentric youth studies to study aggression in school children followed by intervention programs for the school to prevent violence. Aggression in young children is an important precursor to how they perceive and process a variety of experiences through the course of their lives. It influences and underlines their emotional, behavioral, social, and psychological wellbeing. Identifying the prevalence and strength of beliefs and attitudes towards aggression among young, school-going students’ is thus fundamental, and would help in designing targeted interventions for those at-risk. Sample: In the present cross-sectional study of 988 students, a total of 602 boys and 386 girls of grades 5 th to 12 th in a private, co-ed, English medium school in Delhi were administered a self-rated questionnaire adapted from CDC Compendium of tools measuring aggression. Results: Greater rates of aggressive beliefs (p=0.018) and violent attitudes (p ≤ 0.001) are seen in higher grades (VIII-X std. students) as compared to younger batches of V and VI graders, who show higher rates of aggressive behaviors comparatively (p ≤ 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in girls and boys, where boys in younger grades (V-VI std.) show more aggressive behaviors, whereas girls show increased aggressive behaviors by the IX std. (p ≤ 0.001). Regression analysis showed that aggressive beliefs are a strong predictor of aggressive behavior. Correlation with age showed the prevention should begin at V Std. Conclusions: The roots of aggressiveness are present early in school years, and strengthen as students’ progress through secondary grades. Early, targeted interventions are thus essential in helping children and adolescents attenuate and channelize their impulses in a healthier mode of expression.

The Influence of Family on Young Children’s Aggressive Behaviors

The family has a significant influence on the life of a child. It is important to note that most behaviors a child exhibits are directly linked to what they have experienced in life. Especially aggressive behaviors among children have a familiar tendency when they manifest. The parenting style, the behavior of the family as well as the socioeconomic status of the family have an impact on the aggressive behavior expressed by various children. This paper aims to establish the influence of family on young children's aggressive behaviors, analyze why families impact young children's aggressive behavior, and finally draw relevant conclusions. Reviewing previous studies found that some aspects of the family impact children's aggressive behavior. Some findings include how preschool children express aggressive behavior, including shouting, irritability, restlessness, and impulsiveness. Childhood families have a considerable role in designing the behavior of a child. This varies from families from loving and supportive families to those that come from unconducive families to raise good child behaviors such as those that have episodes of parents fighting. The significance of this paper on the influence of family on young children's aggressive behavior is that it assists in understanding the factors that contribute to aggression in children. The past limitations of the references include being correlational, making it hard to establish the cause. Some of the prospects include the role of specific familiar processes in determining aggressive behavior in children.

Development of social skill training design for preschool in social distancing pandemic COVID-19

Introduction: The low level of social skills during the social distancing period triggers high levels of aggression in children. Teachers and parents find teaching difficult because of their limited knowledge and the pandemic situation. Therefore, teachers and parents must be trained to develop children's social skills proportionally. Training children's social skills should be done face-to-face because it is related to the ability to modify behaviour. Of course, this cannot be done, so it is necessary to design training designs in such a way as to deliver digital-based learning, namely virtual learning. This research aims to develop a social skills training design for preschools during the social distancing pandemic of COVID-19. Methods: The research method using Research and Development (R&amp;D) refers to the ADDIE research development model: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation, which aims to produce an effective training design to develop early childhood social skills for teachers and parents through digital-based learning, namely virtual learning. Results: The design has been tested and validated by 3 experts; experts in the field of character education, linguists, and experts in educational technology both quantitatively and qualitatively and has met the acceptability criteria. Therefore, design training has proved effective in improving the competence of teachers and parents in developing the social skills of children ages early during social distancing. These results can be seen from the activities of the trainers and trainees on the implementation of the training in the very good category, said to be practically based on the positive responses of the trainees (teachers and parents) in the very good category, can increase the knowledge and competence of participants based on the results of the learning evaluation. Conclusion: The design training has proved effective in improving the competence of teachers and parents in developing the social skills of children ages early during social distancing.