Peer Rejection and Aggression and Early Starter Models of Conduct Disorder

Shari Miller-Johnson, John D. Coie, Anne Maumary-Gremaud , Karen Bierman

               

                Children who are rejected by their peers display poorer social skills in comparison with children who are not rejected by their peers.  In young children, those who are considered “rejected” interact less positively with other children and are more socially insensitive.  Examples of these problematic behaviors include: grabbing toys, talking meanly, and playing inappropriately with other children.  They also have a harder time transitioning to and from new situations behaving less competently than their non-rejected peers.  “The experience of being rejected by early school peers seems to add to a child’s risk for behavioral and academic adjustment problems in the school context beyond the impact of child characteristics and capacities” (p.10).

                This information is critical to the understanding of how early childhood peer rejection and aggressiveness may result in uncontrolled aggressiveness, attention deficits, low levels of social competence, and high emotional reactivity.  The correlation of rejection and aggression in an early school age sample of children from high-risk communities was reported in a recent study.   The findings indicate that both aggression and social rejection by peers independently contribute to early starting conduct problems.  Peer rejection in kindergarten led to negative attitudes toward self and school while impairing the child’s academic performance.  It also found that children who are rejected by their peers exhibit anti-social behaviors that lead to involvement in deviant groups.

This study also explored whether ADHD symptoms are major contributing factors of aggressive behavior and peer rejection.  It concluded that ADHD symptoms may be disruptive and irritating to other children, but they do not necessarily result in conduct problems, however, those children who were both rejected and aggressive displayed high levels of ADHD symptoms.  This is an important discovery because  

early treatment for ADHD symptoms can help to eliminate the negative consequences of peer rejection in children who are excessively aggressive.           

  “In terms of peer rejection, certain behaviors (such as being impulsive and reactively aggressive) may lead a child to become highly disliked by others.  Other children may come to treat this child more negatively.  The rejected child may become picked on by others or left out of activities while beginning to feel poorly about themselves” (p.12).  Researchers suggest that identifying problematic behaviors in at risk children provides an opportunity for intervention strategies to interrupt conduct problems and aggressive behaviors while enhancing pro-social skills and anger management abilities.  These skills and abilities play an important role in shaping a child’s self-esteem, attitude, and relationship with others. 

 

Reference:

 

Bierman, K., & Coie, J.D., & Gremoud, A.M., & Miller-Johnson, S. (2002).  Peer rejection and early starter models of conduct

     disorder-Statistical data included.  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology: Peer Rejection and Aggressiveness.  Retrieved

     October 10, 2004, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0902/is_3_30/ai_86874929/print   

 

 

 

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