Hyperactive girls develop adjustment problems in adulthood: St

Washington, Mar 20 (UNI) If your little girl is fidgety and has difficulty keeping still, then you have reason to worry.

Young girls displaying exaggerated physical activity are more vulnerable to get hooked on smoking, under-perform in school or jobs, and fall into mentally abusive relationships later in life, a new study says.

The collaborative study conducted by experts from the University of Montreal and the University college London, revealed that hyperactive girls who also exhibited physical agression were at a higher risk of developing adjustment problems in adulthood.

The study, published in the latest issue of the 'Archives of General Psychiatry', further found that hyperactive or agressive girls reported physical and psychological aggression towards their partner, along with early pregnancy and dependency on welfare.

''This study shows that hyperactivity combined with aggressive behaviour in girls as young as six years old may lead to greater problems with abusive relationships, lack of job prospects and teenage pregnancies,'' lead researcher Nathalie Fontaine said.

However, not all hyperactive and physically aggressive girls grow up with serious adjustment problems, co-author Richard Tremblay pointed out.

''We found that about 25 per cent of the girls with behavioural problems in childhood did not have adjustment problems in adulthood, although more than a quarter developed at least three adjustment problems,'' Dr Tremblay said, noting additional research is needed into related social aggression such as rumour spreading, peer group exclusion.

''We need to find what triggers aggression and how to prevent such behavioural problems,'' he added.

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