Behavior problems include non-compliance, acting out, and aggression which is most common in preschoolers, and toddlers. However, according to Tichovolsky, Anorld & Baker (2013), this should not be a cause for alarm, as behavior in children changes over time, depending on the environment and parenting. Though there have been several researches on behavioral changes in children, there is little that is known on what triggers the behavioral trajectories. It is important to understand behavioral changes in children because studies show that almost half of the children with behavioral troubles will mature after preschool, but the other half is likely to continue with the substantial difficulties. This essay will, therefore, look into how the behavior of children has improved over time. This knowledge according to Serketich & Dumas (1996) will help in guiding developments of interventions that will exacerbate behavior problems and allow for more resources that will be used in positive behavior changes in children.
According to a research by Baker et al (2003), 205 pre-school going children including those with developmental delays were studied. The authors sought to observe the early manifestation of behavior change, and its continuity. From the findings, the behaviors were stable between children with 36-48 months. These changes are attributed to a number of factors. According to Sayer, Bianchi & Robinson (2004), parental stress is the major contributor to behavioral changes in children. Due to the pressures of life, parents are more concerned with making money, as opposed to creating time to nurture their children. In another research by Miner & Clarke-Stewart (2008) externalizing behavior among children aged 2,3,4,7 and 9 years were examined. The authors found out that externalizing behavior change declined with age. However, higher externalizing behavior changes were seen in children of age 9. This was attributed by factors such as higher levels of parental depression, harsher attitudes towards discipline, and lower levels of maternal sensitivity.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In summary, it is clear that there have been changes in the behavior of children as years pass by. Behavior changes will continue to change because of cultural change, changes in technology, lifestyle and media. In the past, people were connected and parents often consulted the elderly on proper parenting. Nowadays, parents are too busy trying to make ends meet, and thus this has really contributed to the changes in behavior among children over the years.
References
Baker, B. L., McIntyre, L. L., Blacher, J., Crnic, K., Edelbrock, C., & Low, C. (2003). Pre ‐ school children with and without developmental delay: behaviour problems and parenting stress over time. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research , 47 (4 ‐ 5), 217-230. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00484.x
Miner, J. L., & Clarke-Stewart, K. A. (2008). Trajectories of externalizing behavior from age 2 to age 9: Relations with gender, temperament, ethnicity, parenting, and rater. Developmental Psychology, 44 (3), 771-786. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.771
Sayer, L. C., Bianchi, S. M., & Robinson, J. P. (2004). Are parents investing less in children? Trends in mothers’ and fathers’ time with children. American journal of sociology , 110 (1), 1-43. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/386270
Serketich, W. J., & Dumas, J. E. (1996). The effectiveness of behavioral parent training to modify antisocial behavior in children: A meta-analysis. Behavior therapy , 27 (2), 171-186. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a14b/b0b7de0c58f9c5b77ca98782509982ca6f2f.pdf
Tichovolsky, M. H., Arnold, D. H., & Baker, C. N. (2013). Parent predictors of changes in child behavior problems. Journal of applied developmental psychology , 34 (6), 336-345. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859377/#R13
