Childhood disruptive behaviors can be precursors to later deviance. To verify the efficacy of karate, a complex psychomotor activity that enhances self-regulation and executive skills, as an intervention for externalizing behaviors, 16 children, ranging in age from 8 to 10 years, and meeting diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder were studied. Eight were randomly assigned to a 10-month Wa Do Ryu karate program, whereas 8 children received no intervention. The children were assigned to a larger karate class, composed of typically developing youngsters. Three domains of temperament—intensity, adaptability, and mood regulation—were measured at the beginning and the end of the training period in all 16 participants. A significant improvement in temperament scale scores was measured in the karate group for all tested items compared to controls. Karate, when properly taught, can be a useful adjunct in multimodal programs aimed at externalizing behavior reduction.
Allison, D. B., Basile, V. C., & MacDonald, R. B. (1995). Antecedent exercise in the treatment of disruptive behavior: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2, 279-303.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
Austin, J. (1999). Expressing Zen in action. In J. Austin (Ed.), Zen and the brain (pp. 668-677). Cambridge, MA: MIT press.
4.
Brame, B., Nagin, D. S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2001). Developmental trajectories of physical aggression from school entry to late adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58, 389-394.
5.
Buss, A. H., & Perry, M. (1992). The aggression questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 452-459.
6.
Chamberlain, P., & Patterson, P. R. (1995). Discipline and child compliance in parenting. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting (Vol. 4, pp. 205-225). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
7.
Deshimaru, T. (1995). Lo Zen e le arti marziali [Zen and the martial arts]. Milan, Italy: SE.
8.
Dretzke, J., Frew, E., Davenport, C., Barlow, J., Stewart-Brown, S., Sandercock, J., et al. (2005). The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of parent training/education programmes for the treatment of conduct disorder, including oppositional defiant disorder, in children. Health Technology Assessment, 9(50), iii-iii, ix-x, 1-233.
9.
Frick, P. J. (2006). Developmental pathways to conduct disorder. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 15(2), 311-331.
10.
Hämäläinen, M., & Pulkkinen, L. (1996). Problem behavior as a precursor of male criminality. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 443-445.
11.
Kalb, L. M., & Loeber, R. (2003). Child disobedience and noncompliance: A review. Pediatrics, 111, 641-652.
12.
Kapalka, G. M. (2004). Longer eye contact improves ADHD children’s compliance with parents’ commands. Journal of Attention Disorders, 8(1), 17-23.
13.
Kochanska, G., & Askan, N. (1995). Mother-child mutually positive affect, the quality of child compliance to requests and prohibitions, and maternal control as correlates of early internalization. Child Development, 66, 1-13.
14.
Kuo, F. E., & Taylor, A. F. (2004). A potential natural treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, 94(9), 1580-1586.
15.
Lahey, B. B., McBurnett, K., & Loeber, R. (2000). Are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder developmental precursors to conduct disorder? In A. Semeroff, M. Lewis, & S. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychopathology (pp. 431-446). New York: Plenum.
16.
Lahey, B. B., Waldman, I. D., & McBurnett, K. (1999). The development of antisocial behavior: An integrative causal model. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 669-682.
17.
Loeber, R., Burke, J. D., Lahey, B. B., Winters, A., & Zera, M. (2000). Oppositional defiant and conduct disorder: A review of the past 10 years, part I. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 1468-1484.
18.
Nagin, D., & Tremblay, R. E. (1999). Trajectories of boys’ physical aggression, opposition, and hyperactivity on the path to physically violent and non violent juvenile delinquency. Child Development, 70(5), 1181-1196.
19.
Newcomer, P. L., Barenbaum, E. M., & Bryant, B. R. (1996). TAD: Test dell’ansia e depressione [TAD: Test of anxiety and depression]. Gardolo, Trento, Italy: Erickson.
20.
Palermo, M. T. (2006). Dal dojo alla famiglia alla società [From dojo to family and society]. Samurai, 1, 55-55.
21.
Parrish, J. M., Cataldo, M. F., Kolko, D. J., Neef, N. A., & Egel, A. L. (1986). Experimental analysis of response covariation among compliant and inappropriate behaviors. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 19, 241-254.
22.
Plumer, P. J., & Stoner, G. (2005). The relative effects of classwide peer tutoring and peer coaching on the positive social behaviors of children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 9(1), 290-300.
23.
Reynes, E., & Lorant, J. (2004). Competitive martial arts and aggressiveness: A 2-yr longitudinal study among young boys. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 98, 103-115.
24.
Schaffer, H. R., & Cook, C. K. (1980). Child compliance and maternal control techniques. Developmental Psychology, 16, 54-61.
25.
Tokitsu, K. (1992). Lo Zen e la via del karate [Zen and the way of karate]. Milan, Italy: Tasco-Sugaro.
26.
Tremblay, R. E. (2000). The development of aggressive behavior during childhood: What have we learned in the past century?International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24(2), 129-141.
