Having Step-Siblings Linked to More Aggression: Study

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We always remember that one kid who got so angry a lot, the one who would throw away other children's toys in the playroom. That kid who was all over the place throwing temper tantrums inside the classroom and destroying whatever he can put his hands on during playtime period. Yes, we certainly remember that kid.

According to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado-Boulder, those children who are physically aggressive towards other kids and pretty emotional most of the time are more likely to have been raised together with his or her half and step siblings, according to a report gathered by Fox News.

The new study was published this month in the journal Demography. The study includes 6,500 children and families in the United States. The researchers found out those children who are living with their half and step siblings are 10 percent more aggressive towards other people than kids without any complex sibling relationship.

Each kid's primary parent has reported the aggressiveness of their child towards others at the age of 5. The aggressive display of these children includes temper tantrums, carelessness of other's property, shows of anger and physical aggression. According to the researchers, these types of behavior suggest the child's lack of school readiness.

According to the study, new siblings may often lead to uneven distribution of emotional and material resources in the family. Parents should know how to control their children's behavior by providing more attention to the child who shows an aggressive behavior at an early age.

According to the numbers, one out of six kids in the United States is living with step or half-siblings before they reach kindergarten.

According to Paula Fomby, the study's lead author, in a report gathered by Futurity, parental absence also has a major effect on the child's mental development.

"Across family structures, all children living with a step- or half-sibling have one thing in common: at least one child in the household has an absent biological parent, either living elsewhere or no longer living," says Fomby, who is also a sociologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

"Prior work has shown that having an absent parent, and particularly an absent father, is associated with a higher risk of aggressive behavior in younger children," she added. "In future work, we plan to consider how the behavior of children with an absent parent might impact other children in the household for whom both parents are present."