International Journal of Adolescence and Youth

Early Childhood Aggression: Mechanisms, Contexts, Inequalities, and Pathways to Healthy Development

Early childhood is a period marked by rapid changes in emotional regulation, empathy, language, and social understanding, making it a crucial developmental window for studying the emergence and meaning of aggressive behaviors. Aggressive behavior in early childhood is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon shaped by biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces. While aggression in older youth has received substantial empirical attention, its early developmental roots (and the diverse contexts that shape its expression) remain comparatively understudied. Growing evidence highlights promising avenues such as neurobiological mechanisms, early cognitive and emotional processes, digital environments, and culturally specific norms around children’s behavior. At the same time, research must grapple with contextual biases and avoid pathologizing normal developmental fluctuations. By examining these emerging mechanisms in conjunction with their cultural and systemic contexts, this Collection seeks to enrich developmental science and promote nuanced, strengths-based perspectives on early childhood behavior.

Early aggressive behaviors, including physical, verbal, and relational forms, can affect peer relationships, family dynamics, and long-term emotional wellbeing. They may also represent early markers of later bullying involvement or social difficulties. Yet interpretations of children’s behavior often reflect adult perceptions, cultural norms, and systemic inequalities, which can shape how aggression is identified, labelled, or responded to. Children from marginalized communities may be disproportionately viewed as “problematic,” while systemic stressors such as poverty, discrimination, or limited access to high-quality early education frequently remain overlooked. Understanding aggression in its full developmental and ecological context is essential for avoiding overpathologizing normal behavior patterns, recognizing the role of structural factors, and supporting children in ways that promote equity and wellbeing.

This Article Collection invites empirical (quantitative, qualitative, observational, and mixed-methods approaches) and review papers (systematic reviews and meta-analyses) that examine early childhood aggression through developmental, sociocultural, and systemic lenses. Topics of interest include neurobiological, cognitive, and emotional mechanisms; family, teacher, peer, digital, and cultural influences; and innovative or community-based interventions. We particularly welcome work addressing contextual biases in behavioral assessment, cultural variability in social norms, and the interplay of individual and systemic contributors such as poverty, educational inequities, and discrimination. Studies examining how inequalities shape adults’ perceptions of children’s behavior, including racialized or gendered stereotypes, are encouraged. We also invite research critiquing overpathologizing tendencies, exploring the developmental meaning of aggression, or incorporating children’s own perspectives and emotional experiences. Contributions from diverse cultural and global contexts are especially valued to promote equitable, culturally grounded understandings of early childhood behavior.

Please contact Dr. MK Huffman at [email protected] with any queries about discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Raúl Navarro is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). His research examines social and aggressive behavior across developmental stages, from early childhood to adolescence, with a particular focus on digital contexts. He has published extensively on preschool aggression, bullying, and cyberbehavior, integrating developmental and social psychological perspectives to understand risk and protective factors across environments.

Dr. Raúl Navarro declares no conflict of interest regarding this work.