Secondhand smoke can bring out children's aggressive side
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013 08:54 AM

If the results of a personality test reveal that adults tend to display aggressive behavior, they may want to think back to their childhood. A high exposure to secondhand smoke in these individuals' younger years may be the reason behind their aggression.

This is the conclusion researchers from the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine hospital arrived at in a recent study, which was published in the "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health." After analyzing data on 2,055 children, which looked at their behavior and exposure to secondhand smoke from birth to age 10, the researchers could see a clear link between the two.

"Those having been exposed to secondhand smoke, even temporarily, were much more likely to report themselves as being more aggressive by the time they finished fourth grade," said Linda Pagani, one of the researchers behind the study.

It is no secret that secondhand smoke is bad for those who are exposed to it, no matter how old they happen to be. However, the researchers said that secondhand smoke can be especially dangerous to youths, as the brain is still developing during childhood.