Causes of child aggression

Most people get angry or aggressive at some point in their life, including children. Adults tend to have better control over their behavior in these situations. Children, however, at those times tend to kick, push, bite... Aggression in children can be symptom of many underlying problems: psychological disorders, medical problems or certain circumstances vital.

Something fundamental when dealing with aggression is finding what causes it. Therefore, in this Psychology-Online article we show you some causes of aggressiveness in childhood and a series of tips to deal with it.

Index

1. What is child aggressiveness?
2. Causes of child aggression
3. Tips for Handling Aggressive Children at Home

Aggression can occur both in children with developmental difficulties and in those with development considered “normal”. Assault constitutes intentional harm to another person, even if the attempt to harm fails. There is no single theory about

There are different levels of aggression between boys and girls in the same families. Boys tend to be more aggressive than girls. And the bigger ones tend to present more aggressive behaviors than the little ones. What's more, aggressive behavior it may or may not be intentional. Many hyperactive and clumsy children are accidentally aggressive, but it is not their intention. Hence, a differentiation is made between intentional and unintentional behaviors.

Some of the causes of childhood aggression are:

• Mood disorders: Children with a mood disorder can be aggressive in some phases, losing self-control and becoming impulsive. And at times when they may be depressed, although aggression is less common, they can be very irritable and as a consequence, become aggressive.
• Psychosis: aggressive behavior can also occur in these cases. For example, a child with schizophrenia may become suspicious, and the response to fear of it may be aggression.
• Frustration: Children with cognitive or communication difficulties may also manifest some aggressive behavior. In these cases, aggressiveness is his way of handling the anxiety or frustration generated by the difficulties he encounters.
• Impulsiveness: In children with ADHD, impulsivity and poor decision making can lead to behavior that can be interpreted as aggressive. These children do not take into account the consequences of their actions, which may seem insensitive or malicious, but they are not really thinking.
• Behavioral disorders: aggressiveness is a significant feature in these types of disorders. Unlike the child who does not consider the consequences of what he does, children with disorders behavior are intentionally bad, the treatment and prognosis being very different from the case previous.
• Medical problems: sometimes there are organic causes of aggressiveness. For example, in a child with a lesion in the frontal lobe or in certain types of epilepsy, aggressive episodes can occur.
• Trauma: in this case, the aggression is the product of the stressors of the child's situation and is not the consequence of an underlying problem. But these cases are rare and if the aggression begins to occur more frequently it could indicate the existence of an emotional problem.

Set firm and consistent limits

Children need to know what kinds of behaviors are allowed and which are not. It is important that you make sure that the people who take care of your child at certain times are consistent with the established norms, as well as with the consequences that have a series of behaviors. A child who bites, kicks, or pushes should immediately see that these unauthorized behaviors have a number of consequences. If every time you show aggressive behavior you get the same response from the adults in your care, you will make an association and learn that this should not be done.

Teach your child new ways to handle his anger

Encourage him to use language to express his feelings instead of showing aggressive behaviors. It is important for your child to observe how conflicts are resolved peacefully at home. This way you will be giving an example and being congruent with the established norms.

Instill self-control in your child

Children do not have an innate ability for self-control. They need to be taught not to hit others every time they want to. A child needs a parent's guidance to develop the ability to keep her feelings under control and to think about what he is going to do before doing it.

Avoid encouraging "toughness"

There are certain families in which aggressiveness is encouraged, especially in children. Some parents proudly say that their children are "tough" or that they should be. This can make the child feel like he has to be aggressive in order to have her love and approval.

Do not hit as a form of punishment

Some parents beat their children as punishment. A child who is physically punished whenever he misbehaves can understand that this is the proper way to handle people when he does not like what they do. So physical punishment could reinforce aggressiveness in children.

Control your own temperament

Children tend to focus on their parents, they learn by observation and imitation. If you express yourself aggressively, your children may try to follow your example. That is why it is important to set a good example for your children, expressing anger in various appropriate ways.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Causes of child aggression, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotional and behavioral disorders.