Aggression in Childhood: Rooted in Genetics
Dec 28, 2017 9:46:38 GMT
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Post by Lone Wanderer on Dec 28, 2017 9:46:38 GMT
Source and full article: Aggression in Childhood: Rooted in Genetics, Influenced by the Environment
Summary:
According to a new psychosocial study, reactive and proactive types of aggressive behavior in 6-year-old children share most of the same genetic factors. However, their evolution over time seems to be influenced by various environmental factors, suggesting the need to develop different intervention methods.
Over the past few months, many local cases of assault and harassment have come to light and been widely discussed in the news, both here and in the U.S. and Europe. Why do people have these types of aggressive impulses? To look for an answer, Stéphane Paquin, a PhD candidate in sociology at Université de Montréal working under the supervision of Éric Lacourse and Mara Brendgen, led a study on 555 sets of twins to compare incidence of proactive and reactive aggressive behaviour. His results demonstrate that, at age 6, both types of aggression have most of the same genetic factors, but the behaviour diminishes in most children as they age. Increases or decreases in aggression between the ages of 6 and 12 appear to be influenced by various environmental factors rather than genetics.
With these results, researchers can now move on to study specific social factors associated with changes in proactive and reactive aggression in childhood. "This work will also have a direct impact on clinical practices and prevention programs," said Paquin. "Our results have revealed the importance of developing different prevention methods for reactive and proactive aggression, specifically by offering support to families and providing interventions in schools."
He added: "Our findings also corroborate those of other studies, demonstrating that programs designed to prevent reactive aggression should focus on reducing experiences of victimization, whereas those meant to counter proactive aggression should be based on the development of pro-social values."
Summary:
According to a new psychosocial study, reactive and proactive types of aggressive behavior in 6-year-old children share most of the same genetic factors. However, their evolution over time seems to be influenced by various environmental factors, suggesting the need to develop different intervention methods.
Over the past few months, many local cases of assault and harassment have come to light and been widely discussed in the news, both here and in the U.S. and Europe. Why do people have these types of aggressive impulses? To look for an answer, Stéphane Paquin, a PhD candidate in sociology at Université de Montréal working under the supervision of Éric Lacourse and Mara Brendgen, led a study on 555 sets of twins to compare incidence of proactive and reactive aggressive behaviour. His results demonstrate that, at age 6, both types of aggression have most of the same genetic factors, but the behaviour diminishes in most children as they age. Increases or decreases in aggression between the ages of 6 and 12 appear to be influenced by various environmental factors rather than genetics.
With these results, researchers can now move on to study specific social factors associated with changes in proactive and reactive aggression in childhood. "This work will also have a direct impact on clinical practices and prevention programs," said Paquin. "Our results have revealed the importance of developing different prevention methods for reactive and proactive aggression, specifically by offering support to families and providing interventions in schools."
He added: "Our findings also corroborate those of other studies, demonstrating that programs designed to prevent reactive aggression should focus on reducing experiences of victimization, whereas those meant to counter proactive aggression should be based on the development of pro-social values."
