The Problem Child has a Problem, New Study Says

Researchers at the University of Haifa, Israel recently sought to answer questions about links between adolescents’ perception of their parents and their likelihood to display both external, emotional misbehaviors and internalized feelings of anxiety and depression.

It’s long been wondered why children in families with multiple offspring can often display radically different behavioral and emotional temperaments. They have the same genetics and were raised in the same environment, yet certain children seem much more susceptible to anxiety and depression as well as “acting out” behaviors such as aggression and delinquency. This study wanted to take a look at whether or not a child’s perception of his or her parents’ performance had an effect on emotional and behavioral problems.

Researchers explored possible links between aggression, behavioral problems, anxiety and depression and perceptions of parenting behavior. They looked at 159 children between the ages of 10 and 17. Included in the study were children from the same families, allowing researchers to see how a difference in one sibling’s perception of parental behavior from another’s affected their symptoms.

Subjective perceptions of both maternal and paternal rejection, favoritism and overprotection were measured. The results showed that children with behavioral problems had very different perceptions of their parents’ behavior than children without behavioral issues.

Most notably, a sibling with behavioral issues was shown to have a very different and much more negative perception of their parents’ behavior than a sibling without behavioral issues. There was also a difference in perception between children with internalized emotional issues such as anxiety or depression and their non-symptomatic peers, although the difference was not quite as marked as it was for the group with behavioral issues.

No difference was found based on age or gender.

Children with a negative perception of their parents’ behavior are much more likely to suffer with behavioral and emotional issues. More study is needed to discover why two children from the same family would have such different perceptions of their parents’ behavior.

In fact, some children with behavioral and emotional issues were shown to view their parents’ behavior toward their siblings as negative, while those same siblings reported positive experiences with their parents’ behavior.

This information has possible ramifications for treatment of children with behavioral and emotional issues. Understanding the link will help researchers determine better ways to help these children in a therapeutic setting.

© Copyright 2007 Insight Journal Online Magazine.

Join the Discussion:

Discuss and ask questions in our community forums

Recommended Links:

Sign up for our FREE Health and Wellness Newsletter

ADHD Learning Center [InsightJournal.com]
Kids, Weight and Summer—Too Much of a Break? [InsightJournal.com]
Learning disorder or social anxiety? New study finds social anxiety impairs classroom performance. [InsightJournal.com]
Emotions of Mother May Have Long-Term Effects on Temperament of Child [InsightJournal.com]
Study [PubMed NIMH]

View More Articles In Category: Anxiety News