Child anger management 'improves classroom behaviour'

Written by James Gadsby-Peet 8th March 2010

Children that are taught how to monitor their anger in the classroom benefit from improved behaviour and better discipline, according to new research.

Pupils taking place in a school-based mentoring programme were about half as likely to have a disciplinary incident over the three-month study period, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found.

They were also less likely to be referred for office disciplinary measures.

Peter Wyman, lead author of the study, said: "This study suggests that with appropriate guidance from a trained adult, young children are capable of learning a great deal about their emotions and skills for handling their emotions effectively and those skills can have direct, positive benefits for their functioning in school."

Research published in the journal Addiction in November suggested that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can create child behaviour problems.

Children were more likely to suffer depression, anxiety or somatic problems if mothers drank heavily during the first trimester of pregnancy.