Personality disorder can be defined as a psychological condition in which an individual manifests long-term patterns of adverse disturbances in their personality and personal distress. In children, the behavioral tendencies may further lead to developmental challenges. Generally, the maladaptive personality causes the individual to exhibit pathological traits characterized by antagonism, disinhibition inflexibility, and problems for themselves and others. The real cause of personality disorder is unknown, but both genetic and environmental factors contribute to it. If genetic underlying is there, environmental factors like a parent-child relationship, exposure to hostile environments, and peer exposure can also contribute to developing personality disorder in a child.
Firstly, the kind of family in which a child grows up can impact developing a personality disorder. The family is the greatest determinant of personality as the child spends a relatively long time at home with family members than other people. Steele et al. (2019) espoused a linkage between environmental and genetic etiology in the relationship between negative parent-to-child interaction and psychopathic personality. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics indicates that a child born into a family that has undergone a divorce and is likely being brought up by one parent can quickly develop a bad attitude towards other people (Cohen, 2016) . In essence, a child born into an adverse family environment is more likely to develop personality disorder than ones born in stable families. The negative interaction may be characterized by parents’ lack of affection and attention on the child and physical abuse. Therefore, the parent-child relationship is another environmental factor that may cause a child to develop a personality disorder.
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Beyond the child's family environment, peer group relations and community variables can also influence the likelihood of the child’s developing personality disorders. According to recent research by Henneberger (2017), children tend to form friendships based on mutual similarities. For instance, the interactions may be initiated by similarities in behaviors, achievements, and relational aggression. Given the initial personality of genetically vulnerable children, they are likely to choose friends who portray similar pathological behaviors. As such, the relationship will only tend to re-iterate and reinforce the negative traits. The social interactions may also cause the children to reflect the genetically instigated tendencies with unwelcoming social behaviors such as crime. Therefore, in addition to genetic vulnerability, peers can also play a pivotal role in causing personality disorder in a child.
Further, environmental situations and experiences can also influence the development of personality disorder in a child. As indicated by the American Psychological Association (2018), adverse childhood experiences are risk factors that may increase the likelihood of personality disorders in already genetically vulnerable children. The traumatic experiences may include exposure to assaultive bullying, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. In practice, a child who shares a peaceful environment is more likely to have a controlled personality disorder despite having been genetically vulnerable to the disorder. The interaction of a genetically vulnerable child to personality disorder and interaction with a stable environment may also improve the child’s condition or vice versa.
In conclusion, a personality disorder is increasingly affecting many children, adolescents, and adults alike. As highlighted, the disorder results from environmental and genetic influences, meaning the chances of acquiring it are incredibly high for people in unstable families or living in chaotic environments. In a scenario where a child has genetic vulnerability to the disorder, environmental factors can shape the likelihood of developing the condition due to family situation, parent-child relationship, and impact of experiences in their surroundings. Whichever factor impacts the child, the personality disorder can easily escalate if the child’s environment does not support peaceful cognitive development.
References
American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2018, November ). What are Personality Disorders? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/personality-disorders/what-are-personality-disorders
Cohen, G. J. (2016, December ). Helping children and families deal with divorce and separation. Pediatrics, 138 (6), 2. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-3020
Henneberger, A. K. (2017, March 28). The effect of having aggressive friends on aggressive behavior in childhood: Using propensity scores to strengthen causal inference. Social Development, 26 (2), 3-6. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12186
Steele, K. R. (2019, October ). Parenting and personality disorder: An overview and meta-synthesis of systematic reviews. PLOS ONE, 14 (10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223038
