What are the causes of challenging behaviour in foster children?

Challenging behaviour from foster children can manifest in various ways, such as tantrums, hitting or kicking others and sulking. It can also present itself through verbal abuse, throwing or breaking objects and self-harming. Dealing with these behaviours is one of the challenges involved with foster care.

However, once you understand the causes, it’s easier to know how to manage these types of behaviour. The causes of challenging behaviour in foster children are often due to one or a combination of the following:

Emotional dysregulation

Usually the result of complex trauma, emotional dysregulation is one of the primary causes of challenging behaviour. When your foster child is experiencing emotional dysregulation, they may display angry outbursts, anxious behaviour, substance abuse, self-harm and symptoms of depression such as a consistently low mood.

The causes of emotional dysregulation are usually a response to your foster child’s experiences of traumatic relationships, which could have been frightening and unpredictable. This may have resulted in them feeling unsafe and unloved.

Stress and anxiety

Foster children have often endured traumatic experiences like abuse and neglect. They may have also moved several times already, which disrupts their development and restricts them from settling in. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that foster children may suffer from mental health disorders like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Depression.

Sleep deprivation

Lack of sleep can make anyone feel less than their best, including foster children, who may express sleep deprivation through tantrums, quiet behaviour and anxiety.

There are many causes that could contribute to sleep deprivation, including:

• Stress and anxiety
• Trauma
• Insomnia
• Inconsistent routines
• Overstimulation
• Change of home environment

Experience of abuse

Foster children who have experienced abuse in the past are more likely to exhibit challenging behaviour. They could be uncomfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings, especially if they’ve learnt that doing so resulted in verbal or physical abuse. Instead, they may struggle to manage their emotions and express them in other ways, such as uncontrolled outbursts or passive-aggressive behaviour.