Male aggression evident as early as kindergarten

ISLAMABAD: A new research reveals that aggression among males is evident at an stage as early as kindergarten.

The little boy who clings possessively to his stuffed teddy bear or shows similar domineering attitude despite frequent admonishments may seem adorable and strong-willed, but according to a recent study, his behavior may be an early sign of aggression.

Investigators found that kindergarten-age boys who did not share, blamed others and were irritable, disobedient, inconsiderate and fidgety were more likely to become physically aggressive as teens.

The findings, published in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, may be used to identify boys at risk and find ways to help them deal with their aggressive urges. The results are based on data from more than 1,000 boys aged 6 to 15 from low-income neighborhoods in Montreal.

"By the end of kindergarten, there are several powerful predictors of (chronic physical aggression)--high opposition and high hyperactivity, low IQ, family breakup, teen motherhood, and low maternal education," according to Dr. Daniel S. Nagin of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Richard E. Tremblay of the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. "Interventions for these children have been shown to have some long-term impact."

Individual behaviors classified as "oppositional" and "hyperactive" were found to raise the likelihood of becoming aggressive threefold. Boys who were both hyperactive and highly oppositional were eight times as likely to become highly aggressive as teens, the report indicates.

"Individually, these risks are comparable in magnitude to the impact of high serum cholesterol levels on risk of coronary heart disease," the authors explain. "In combination, they far exceed it."

In other findings, teenage mothers and women with low educational levels are more than nine times more likely to have physically aggressive sons. There was no relationship between the father's education and his son's behavior, however.

Nagin and Tremblay note that teenage pregnancy and low maternal education may reflect other factors that can influence aggression in sons. Women who give birth as teens, for instance, are more likely to be harsh and erratic disciplinarians and may be more prone to birth complications that have been linked to subsequent behavior problems in their children.