Upbringing also known as parenting is a task carried out by parents and caretakers to enhance and boost the physical, intellectual social and emotional development of a child. Caretakers have carried out the practice over the past centuries, as it is a responsibility. The process of upbringing is expected to provide a smooth transition of children from infancy to adulthood. However, research has it that the type of upbringing of a child affects aggression among teenagers. Hence, the area of study presents psychologists a pressing need to create an understanding of the relationship that exists between child rearing and aggressive conduct.
The Impact of Upbringing on Teenage Aggression
Aggression among children is not a short-term problem associated with childhood. If the cause of the aggression is not investigated at an early stage, it can result in psychological and physical complications later in life. As a result, researchers have developed effective interventions with the aim of understanding the causes of aggression in teenagers. A study conducted by the Department of Education in the UK, researchers found out that children that are exposed to poor parenting are twice likely to demonstrate inconsistent behavior patterns that result to aggression (Hendriks et al., 2018). Aggressive behavior begins when a child is at the age of 2-3 years, and it goes on even when the child is at the adolescent stage. In a report gathered by the University of Minnesota in 2017, the researchers gathered that mothers that have unpleasant feelings towards their children had increased disagreements with them (Jolliffe et al., 2017). Hence, such children may result in hooliganism, disobedience, and use of verbal insults.
Researchers have discovered that a connection exists between the type of parent upbringing of kids and aggression among the children. While parent nurturing may take different forms, if it falls short of proper guidance and care, a child may act rebellious and even confrontational (Labella " Masten, 2018). Single parenting, as a means of upbringing, has seen children from such a family become aggressive as they grow. The form of parenting involves one parent taking full responsibility for the child. Such single-parent families have significantly increased in the 21st Century. However, the parent in the single parent family faces a myriad of challenges as they are expected to work extra hard to fulfill the responsibilities of the missing partner.
Single parents, who in most cases are mothers are highly likely to be stressed in the course of upbringing their children. Often, they may lack the means to provide for their families adequately, and it affects them emotionally. Households of single parents may be prone to poverty and accompanied heavy rearing responsibility leading to parent stress and coercive disciplinary action. As a result, they can resort to child abuse and neglect (Jackson et al., 2010). Data of 90 low-income mothers and their kindergarten kids was used to find out the effect of parent stress and physical corrective action used among their children. The research revealed that the high levels of stress among the mothers, coupled with numerous spanking of their children as a form of disciplinary were associated with teachers complaining about behavioral problems among children belonging to the low-income mothers (Waldfogel et al., 2010).
A 2005 research sought to compare the educational achievement of kids from single-parent families and those being raised by both parents. The study found out that children that were raised by both parents were performing better in school as compared to those of single-parent families. Children of single-parent household families received lower educational attainment since they are exposed to stressing environments and receive inadequate social and economic support (Rodionova et al., 2018). Similarly, a survey on national substance abuse sought the responses of 20,000 adolescents. The study found that more children from single-parent families abused drugs as compared to those who had the two biological parents. On further analysis, single parenthood children, whose performance at school is unpleasing often feel a sense of low self-esteem resulting in aggressive behavior (Pinquart, 2017). On similar account, those that abuse drugs feel neglected and their abuse of drugs is associated with bullying and fighting of other teenagers. The low educational attainment and use of drugs indicate that the children lack adequate love, affection, and support, hence resulting into defensive mechanisms of their predicament.
Limitations
Research involving the impact of upbringing on teenage aggression is challenged by the fact that there is no a precise definition of aggression. Aggression among teenagers can refer either to antisocial behaviors or to actions that constitute violence (Reebye " Moretti, 2005). While many children engage in antisocial behavior, only a few participate in violent behavior. Hence, research on aggression is limited on what constitutes to aggression among children. Moreover, measuring aggression is cumbersome as it can differ as per the age of the youngster. What may be referred to as aggression at a particular age bracket may not be the same at later stages of development in the child (Reebye " Moretti, 2005).
Conclusion
The upbringing of children is no simple responsibility. It is a means of connecting with a child socially and psychologically. Children are vulnerable, and thus, lack of attention, love, and affection can result in such children becoming aggressive. Single parenthood seems to be significantly affected by aggressiveness among children. As such, greater efforts in parenting are needed among single parent families in the bid to reduce aggression among their children.
References
Hendriks, A. M., Bartels, M., Colins, O. F., " Finkenauer, C. (2018). Childhood aggression: a synthesis of reviews and meta-analyses to reveal patterns and opportunities for prevention and intervention strategies. Neuroscience " Biobehavioral Reviews.
Jackson, A. P., Preston, K. S., " Franke, T. M. (2010). Single parenting and child behavior problems in kindergarten. Race and Social Problems, 2(1), 50-58.
Jolliffe, D., Farrington, D. P., Piquero, A. R., Loeber, R., " Hill, K. G. (2017). Systematic review of early risk factors for life-course-persistent, adolescence-limited, and late-onset offenders in prospective longitudinal studies. Aggression and violent behavior, 33, 15-23.
Labella, M. H., " Masten, A. S. (2018). Family influences on the development of aggression and violence. Current opinion in psychology, 19, 11-16.
Pinquart, M. (2017). Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis. Developmental psychology, 53(5), 873.
Reebye, P. " Moretti, M. (2005). Perspective on Childhood and Adolescent Aggression. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.14(1).
Rodionova, V. I., Shvachkina, L. A., " Kuznetsova, L. E. (2018). Family Psychological Violence Influence On Adolescent Aggressive Behavior Formation. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM), 217.
Waldfogel, J., Craigie, T. A., " Brooks-Gunn, J. (2010). Fragile families and child wellbeing. The Future of children/Center for the Future of Children, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, 20(2), 87.
