Child’s first 3 years can determine adult aggression

THE odds of a toddler maturing into an aggressive adult or violent criminal is determined largely before he or she reaches the age of three, according to experts speaking at the country’s first infant mental health forum.

This is borne out by the findings of a 20-year study carried out in New Zealand — details of which were the presented at the forum in Dublin yesterday by George Hosking, chief executive of Wave Trust UK, an agency dedicated to reducing the root causes of violence.

For the study, nurses observed the behaviour of 1,000 children aged three, over a 90-minute period. They were asked to classify children as “at risk” or “normal” in terms of their behaviour.