Some children have trouble getting along with others. Parents of 6- to 17-year-olds were asked if their children never, sometimes, usually, or always exhibited each of the following: arguing too much, bullying or being cruel or mean to others, being disobedient, or being stubborn, sullen, or irritable. While many children may occasionally misbehave, children were considered to have problems with social behaviors if their parents reported that their children “usually” or “always” displayed at least two of these behaviors. Overall, 7.8 percent of children aged 6-17 met this standard.

While the prevalence of these problems does not differ substantially by sex, it does decrease with income. Of children aged 6-17 with family incomes below the poverty level, 13.1 percent have social behavior problems, compared to 9.3 percent of children with family incomes between 100 and 199 percent of poverty in this age group. Of children with family incomes between 200 and 399 percent of FPL, 6.7 percent have social behavior problems, as do 5.0 percent of children with family incomes of 400 percent of FPL or more.