People who experienced frequent hunger during childhood are more than twice as likely to exhibit impulsivity and engage in violent acts as adolescents and adults, according to a new study at the University of Texas (UT) at Dallas.
Earlier research has shown that childhood hunger contributes to a variety of other negative outcomes, including poor academic performance. This is one of the first studies to establish a correlation between childhood hunger, low self-control, and interpersonal violence.
“Good nutrition is not only critical for academic success, but now we’re showing that it links to behavioral patterns. When kids start to fail in school, they start to fail in other domains of life,” said Dr. Alex Piquero, Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology and associate dean for graduate programs in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions to look for any links between childhood hunger and impulsivity or interpersonal violence. Participants answered several questions including how often they went hungry as a child, whether they have problems controlling their temper, and if they have ever physically injured another person on purpose.
[For more of this story, written by Traci Pedersen, go to http://psychcentral.com/news/2...violence/105081.html]
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