Aggressive and impulsive behaviours more likely for children from poorer families

Children born into families battling economic inequality (referred to in this study as ‘poor families’) are more likely to exhibit aggressive, impulsive behaviours throughout childhood, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

Children born into poor families were more likely to misbehave, researchers said, engaging in behaviours such as throwing tantrums, teasing, fighting, lying and cheating — regardless of whether they lived in neighbourhoods with high or low poverty rates.

As well as the type of family they are born into, the location of the family and family home matters too, researchers learned.

At three years of age, children from wealthier families who lived in high-poverty neighborhoods were about as likely to act out as their peers born into poor families.

This new work builds on previous research which has shown that there is a connection between behaviour and lifetime outcomes. 

That research found that children who ‘act out’ (that is those who engage in aggressive and impulsive behaviour) often experience poor life outcomes such as having trouble making friends, performing poorly in school and showing reduced cognitive abilities.

In the long term, these problems can lead to dropping out of school, unemployment and poor financial management.

The study relied on data from portions of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, following more than 1,600 children from birth to 15 years of age.

“We know that family socioeconomic status affects children’s development a lot,” lead author Soobin Kim said. 

“The major takeaway of this paper is that children born into poor families have consistently higher rates of behaviour problems throughout their first 15 years of life than children who were born into not poor families – but we also highlight how living in a poor neighborhood can influence kids from wealthier families too.”

Parents who are worrying about finances are more likely to engage in stricter, more controlling parenting, researchers said, which may backfire and lead to more acting out. They may also have less time or availability to actively participate in their children’s education, which can negatively impact development.

The researchers also found children from low-income families consistently exhibit higher levels of problem behaviors throughout their first 15 years compared to kids from higher-income families. However, particularly around three years of age children from higher-income families who lived in low-income neighborhoods exhibited similar levels of problem behaviours.

“When children are very young, children and their families are highly affected by the lack of safety and resources … in poor neighborhoods.” Ms Kim explained. 

“This suggests that when children are very young, children and their families are highly affected by the lack of safety and resources, such as access to day care, quality education and stable jobs, in poor neighbourhoods.”

However once children begin attending school and interacting with other friend groups, the neighbourhood’s influence on child behaviour seems to reduce.

In terms of addressing the findings and levelling the playing field, researchers suggest addressing resource gaps tied to both family income and neighbourhood conditions will be key.

Expanding programs like Head Start, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program aimed at supporting children’s growth and learning, may help curb behavioural differences in early childhood between children born in different socioeconomic circumstances.

For school-aged children, school social workers can play a critical role by fostering stronger peer relationships and promoting a sense of belonging at school.

Additionally, anti-poverty programs aimed at supporting families need to start early to close developmental and environmental gaps between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds, the researchers said.

The study was published in the Journal of Social Service Research. Co-authors include Rafael Engel, Sara Goodkind and Jeffrey Shook.