Dictionary For Dads

Parents should be  concerned about the incidence of violent behavior among children and teenagers today. School age violence and bullying is in every community newspaper around the country/world. Aggression in children and teenagers is a complex subject that every parent needs to understand. The importance of this information is that it needs to be taught before aggressive behavior gets out of control. Therefore, we have dedicated a page for parents to help them understand aggression in children.

What is Aggressive Behavior

Aggressive behavior is the manifestation of emotions and thoughts into action/behavior. Aggressive behavior in children and teenagers  include a wide range of behaviors: explosive temper tantrums, physical aggression, such as kicking, biting, smacking, etc..There is also verbal aggression which includes yelling, screaming, threats or saying hurtful things about or to others. Other behaviors that is characterized as aggressive which parents need to be aware of is: use of toys as weapons and cruelty towards pets or other animals.  Children act out these feelings and aggressions simply because many of them have learned and mastered the skills of managing emotions. There is many reasons for this but the main one is the parental modeling they experience.

In many of these children and teenagers these emotional management skills have yet to developed Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the parent to teach these skills to their children. That said, we see plenty of evidence everyday that indicates many adults lack these skills as well. Could it be that they never learned them from their parents? I will leave that question for you to ponder.

When Does Aggressive Behavior Usually Begin

Preschool children have the ability to display aggressive behavior. Teachers and parents who witness aggressive behavior should be concerned, however, they often think it is cute and/or the child will just calm down and eventually learn  that aggressive behavior is not acceptable. That is not the right attitude to have towards your child or the aggressive behavior they may exhibit. Aggressive behavior is a serious dilemma in our society today and sadly enough it is due to many ill equipped parents. Therefore aggressive behavior displayed by  a child at any age needs always to be taken seriously. 

Factors Which Increase Risk of Aggressive Behavior

Numerous research studies have concluded that a complex interaction or combination of factors leads to an increased risk of violent behavior in children and adolescents.  These factors include:

• Previous aggressive or violent behavior
• Being the victim of physical abuse and/or sexual abuse
• Exposure to violence in the home and/or community
• Genetic (family heredity) factors
• Exposure to violence in media (TV, movies, etc.)
• Use of drugs and/or alcohol
• Presence of firearms in home
• Combination of stressful family socioeconomic factors (poverty, severe deprivation,    marital breakup, single parenting, unemployment, loss of support from extended family)
• Brain damage from head injury

The Indicators For Aggressive Behavior In Children

Children who have several risk factors and show the following behaviors should be carefully evaluated:

• Intense anger                                                                                      
• Frequent loss of temper or a short fuse 
• Frequently experience a sense of irritability
• Compulsive or impulsiveness personalities
• Lack of Patience Easily frustrated

What prevents Children from exhibiting Aggressive behavior:

Research studies have shown that much aggressive behavior can be decreased or even prevented if the above risk factors are significantly reduced or eliminated.  Most importantly, efforts should be directed at dramatically decreasing the exposure of children and adolescents to violence in the home, community, and through the media.  Clearly, violence leads to violence.

In addition, the following strategies can lessen or prevent violent behavior:

• Prevention of child abuse (use of programs such as parent training, family support programs, etc.)
• Sex education and parenting programs for adolescents
• Early intervention programs for violent youngsters
• Monitoring child's viewing of violence on TV/videos/movies

What can be done if a child shows Aggressive behavior?

Whenever a parent or other adult is concerned, they should immediately arrange for a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified mental health professional.  Early intervention and treatment can help. It is imperative that your child is able to form a therapeutic alliance with the health care professional so put care into choosing one that will be effective. All therapists are not created equal and one bad experience will create a loss of hope.

The goals of treatment when dealing with an aggressive child is for the child to learn how to identify their emotions and frustration, identify how they have been expressing/bottling up their emotions. Identify the consequences the child endured due to the way they behaved. They also will evaluate the triggers that set off certain emotions and explore and practice alternative ways of managing and expressing these feelings with appropriate behavior. The therapist will also teach the child how to be responsible for themselves and their behavior. It is very important for the parent and the therapist to teach the child that the behavior is bad and not the child. Do not let the behavior ever define the child.