New research finds that children who behave in a disruptive manner may have smaller brains than their well-behaved classmates.
Instead of misbehaving, these children have smaller brain areas that regulate their behavior and emotions.
Researchers from the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that young people who lie, steal, fight, bully and are cruel to animals have smaller brain areas in 26 of 34 brain regions.
Disruptive behavior in children is called a conduct disorder and occurs in 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 rebelliousness, as findings published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry show.
A new study has found that disruptive children may have smaller brains than their well-behaved classmates.
In children with this disorder, the total surface area of the outer layer of the brain and of the amygdala, hippocampus and thalamus is reduced. These areas all help regulate behavior.
Most brain changes were observed in children who showed low empathy, guilt and remorse.
Although it is still unknown what causes changes in the brain areas of children who misbehave, researchers believe it is due to childhood adversity and/or abuse.
Speak with The timesLead author Dr Yidian Gao said: ‘We know very little about this condition, even though it can place a significant burden on families and societies.
“It provides the most compelling evidence to date that behavioral disorders are associated with widespread structural differences in the brain.”
It follows experts warning that children are becoming more aggressive at school as the lockdown has caused a “delay in their social and emotional development” and created a “background of anxiety”.
This is according to research commissioned by the BBC, which found that one in five teachers has been beaten by pupils this year, with many teachers reporting an increase in violent behaviour compared to two years ago.
Children with the disorder had 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, swearing, fighting, pushing and throwing chairs became more common in schools across the country, the new research found.
Erica Bowen, Chartered Coaching Psychologist and Registered Forensic Psychologist, told MailOnline that the pandemic has limited opportunities for children to develop social skills.
She said the “isolation” and “background of anxiety” created by Covid was likely to have an impact on children’s mental health, leading to “more behaviour”.
Dr Bowen added: ‘Research shows that in some studies there is an identifiable delay between the social skills of children who were taught online versus face-to-face during the pandemic. Leaving lockdown and pandemic restrictions means that for some children there is a delay in their social and emotional development.
‘The isolation and fear as a backdrop, but also the impact on families who have experienced a loss during this period, have likely also had an impact on the mental health of children. This in turn has an impact on their behaviour, often leading to more ‘acting out’ behaviour.
‘Some children are likely to have some trauma as a result of the pandemic. That may also be relevant to their ability to interact with others, particularly when it comes to regulating emotions.’