A new study has revealed that children with problematic behavior may have smaller brains than their well-educated classmates.
Instead of simply misbehaving, these children have smaller areas of the brain that regulate their behavior and emotions.
Researchers at the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that young people who lie, steal, fight, bully and are cruel to animals have smaller surface areas in 26 of 34 brain regions.
Disruptive behavior in children is called conduct disorder and affects seven percent of boys and three percent of girls between the ages of five and ten.
But it is often about more than just youthful rebellion, as findings published in The Lancet Psychiatry show.
A new study has revealed that children with disruptive behaviour may have smaller brains than their well-educated classmates. File image
Children with this disorder had a smaller total surface area in the outer layer of the brain and in the amygdala, hippocampus and thalamus, all of which help regulate behavior.
The greatest number of brain changes were seen in children who showed low levels of empathy, guilt and remorse.
Although it is not yet known what causes brain regions to change in children who misbehave, researchers said it may be caused by adversity and/or childhood abuse.
Speaking to The timesLead author Dr Yidian Gao said: “We know very little about this disorder, yet it can place a huge burden on families and societies.
‘It provides the most compelling evidence to date that conduct disorder is associated with widespread structural differences in the brain.’
Experts warn that children are becoming more violent at school because confinement caused a “delay in their social and emotional development” and created a “history of fear.”
This comes after a survey commissioned by the BBC found that one in five teachers have been hit by pupils this year, with many reporting an increase in violent behaviour compared to two years ago.
Children with this disorder had a smaller total surface area in the outer layer of the brain and in the amygdala, hippocampus and thalamus, all of which help regulate behavior.
Spitting, name-calling, fighting, pushing and chair-throwing are among the most common occurrences in schools across the country, according to a new survey.
Erica Bowen, a chartered coach psychologist and registered forensic psychologist, told MailOnline that the pandemic had restricted opportunities for children to develop social skills.
She said the “isolation” and “environment of fear” created by Covid will likely have impacted children’s mental health, leading them to “more extremist behaviour”.
Dr Bowen added: ‘Research shows that in some studies there is an identifiable gap between the social skills of children who received online and face-to-face teaching during the pandemic. Emerging from lockdown and pandemic restrictions means that for some children there is a delay in their social and emotional development.
‘The isolation and fearful context, as well as the impact on families who experienced loss during this time, will likely also have affected children’s mental health, which then also influences behaviour, often leading to more ‘acting out’ behaviours.
‘Some children are likely to have experienced a level of trauma as a result of the pandemic, which may also be relevant to their ability to relate to others, especially with regard to emotion regulation.’