It has been well-documented that the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States produce some of the most aggressive children, and now a new study has found the same goes for other countries throughout the world. In fact, Ann Skinner, a researcher with Duke’s Center for Child and Family Policy and lead author of the research, said the answers from mothers, fathers and children from nine different countries allowed her team to come to its conclusion.
Skinner and her colleagues polled parents and children from nearly 1,300 families in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and the U.S. The subjects were asked about behaviors such as screaming and threatening people, as well as other actions. Despite the country, the researchers were able to find that the more at-risk communities produce more aggressive children.
“This is an incredibly diverse set of countries from around the world, representing countries from the developing and the developed world and including individualistic and collectivist societies,” Skinner said. “In all the countries we studied, we see that living in a dangerous neighborhood may affect kids negatively.”
Children can get help for their behavioral issues
While there are more kids from dangerous neighborhoods who need extra attention due to their aggressive behavior, the truth is that children from all walks of life struggle with this problem. The important thing is putting them in the right environment to allow them to tackle their aggression issues.
The source of a child’s aggression doesn’t really matter. Parents just need to be able to help their kids learn how to fit in at school, make new friends and succeed in life. Here is a list of tips that parents should keep in mind when guiding their children to get past their behavioral issues:
1. Help kids think about the circumstances
Many children who are overly aggressive don’t think before they act. If they are able to better control their minds, it may allow them to cut down on their reactionary behavior. Role playing certain situations gives children an opportunity to see how they respond to certain instances. Kids can then take a step back and evaluate how their aggressiveness affected their reactions. An article for HealthCentral stated that going through “if-then” scenarios will allow children to learn a lot about themselves, which can lead to them finding ways to improve their behavior.
2. Consider enrolling kids in martial arts school
Being more aggressive than others is something that is intrinsic within children. Sometimes they have to find a way to exhaust those urges. This is when martial arts classes presents a great opportunity for kids to deal with this problem. Instructors of Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Tae Kwon Do classes understand how to teach their students to control their minds, which is something overly aggressive children will accept. Martial arts is also a chance for kids to channel their aggressiveness into another outlet. It has been proven that exercising an adequate amount can help kids who have trouble controlling their emotions. Martial arts may be the key to curing aggression issues.
3. Preach patience
Controlling their impulses is something that many aggressive children struggle with, according to HealthCentral. If parents are able to identify times when their kids can’t control their impulses, it is a chance to create a learning experience. Pointing out these instances to their children will help them understand their emotions. There are many times when it seems like a kid goes from zero to 60 in a matter of seconds. These are the times when children have to be better able to control themselves and their aggressiveness.