Being poor also played a major role in a child's aggressiveness, Herrenkohl says. Parents living in poverty have more stress in their lives and simply don't have the resources or as many positive role models as parents with more money, he says. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Child Maltreatment . To Do Both Herrenkohl and Brown say parents should re-examine their parenting style if a child is showing signs of aggressive behavior. Parents also need to be aware of what their child is capable of developmentally, he says.
Society can help, too, they say.
We need to recognize that stress in parents is going to be related to using quick, easy forms of punishment, like spanking. Both she and Herrenkohl recommend parenting education programs to enhance parent-child relationships and provide social support for parents. Most child development experts recommend parents not use any form of physical punishment to discipline children. Or, read this earlier HealthScout article on corporal punishment and others on disciplining children .