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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health

Children harming others

Anger and frustration can also lead to violent and destructive behaviours in some
children and young people as a way of attempting to deal with a stressful situation and
if they are unable to talk about their feelings and needs. Such behaviours can include
physical violence, verbal hostility, threatening messages via social media and emails,
shouting, swearing and making threats.

Some children may adopt harmful sexual behaviours, often as a result of having been
subjected to physical, emotional or sexual harm. This kind of behaviour, that damages
the child and others involved, includes:

• Using sexually explicit words and phrases

• Inappropriate touching

• Using sexual violence or threats

• Having penetrative sex with other children or adults.

Key Fact

Research has shown that the majority of young people who engage
in harmful sexual behaviours are adolescent boys.

Source: Hackett, S., Phillips, J., Masson, H. and Balfe, M. (2013)
Individual, family and abuse characteristics of 700 British
child and adolescent sexual abusers. Child Abuse Review,
22(4): 232–245.

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