Scientists identify how to spot a future criminal at the age of THREE

It's worrying news for any parent who's struggled with a headstrong young child.

But scientists claim that children who have low levels of self-control at three are more likely to have health and money problems and a criminal record by the age of 32, regardless of background and IQ.

Researchers from Britain, the U.S. and New Zealand analysed data from two large studies in which children completed a range of physical tests and interviews to assess genetic and environmental factors that can shape their lives.

Doomed? Children who have low levels of self-control at three are more likely to have health problems and a criminal record by the age of 32 (posed by models)

They found that children with low self-control were more likely to have health problems in later life including high blood pressure, being overweight, breathing problems and sexually transmitted infections.

They were also more likely to be dependent on substances such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs, more likely to be single parents, have difficulty managing money and have criminal records.

'Mastering self-control and managing impulses are some of the earliest demands that society places on children,' said lead researcher Dr Terrie Moffitt, of King's College London and Duke University in the U.S.

'Our study shows, for the first time, that willpower as a child really does influence your chances of a healthy and wealthy adulthood.'

The researchers firstly looked at data from around 1,000 children born in New Zealand between April 1972 and March 1973.

The participants' self-control was assessed by teachers, parents, observers and the children themselves and included things like having low frustration tolerance, lacking persistence in reaching goals, being over-active and acting before thinking.

Dr Moffitt's team then found that when the participants reached their early 30s, this impulsivity and relative inability to think about the long-term gave them more problems with finances, including savings, owning a home and credit card debt.

The children with lower self-control scores also scored highest for things like sexually transmitted diseases, weight problems, having high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

To corroborate the findings, the researchers ran the same analysis on data from 500 pairs of fraternal twins in Britain.

They found that the sibling with lower self-control scores at age five was more likely to start smoking, do badly at school and engage in anti-social behaviour at age 12.

Dr Avshalom Capsi, who worked with Dr Moffitt on the study, said: 'This shows that self-control is important by itself, apart from all other factors that siblings share, such as their parents and home life.'

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

Woman mayor shows her horrific scars after surviving two assassination attempts by Mexican gangs

Baring her mutilated body for the camera, Maria Santos Gorrostieta shows the horrific results of two assassination attempts by Mexican criminals

As the mayor of the town of Tiquicheo, she has become a key target for drug gangs who have turned the country into a grotesquely violent narco-state.

But despite being scarred physically and mentally by the attacks, the extraordinarily brave Mrs Gorrostieta remains defiant.

'I wanted to show you my wounds because I'm not ashamed that my body is mutilated like this,' she said.

Injuries: Maria Santos Gorrostieta, the mayor of the Mexican town of Tiquicheo shows her horrific injuries after surviving two assassination attempts

Brave: The mayor said some people had even doubted that she was attacked

'It is the result of shameful acts which have marked my life and the lives of my children. But I am not ashamed.

'There are some that have said I made these attacks up. But I did not and now I show the physical proof to those who have doubted me.'

Mrs Gorrostieta, a mother-of-three, was first attacked on October 15, 2009 when she was driving through the town of El Limone with her husband.

A group of armed men ambushed their vehicle, spraying the car with bullets.

The mayor was left terribly injured while her husband José Sánchez Chávez was killed.

Despite suffering such a devastating loss and battling back to fitness, Mrs Gorrostieta was determined not to be defeated.

She returned to work and had made remarkable progress.

But in January last year, she was once again ambushed by armed and masked men.

This time her injuries were even worse. She had to have a colostomy bag and suffers constant pain.

'Every day I fight and battle in my mind to erase the memories of the terrible things I lived through,' she said.

Recovery: Mrs Gorrostieta will be scarred for life after the shootings

'But I can't quit, not when I have three children whom I have to teach by example.

'Beside that I have the memories of my husband, the father of my children who knew how to teach the value of things and fight for them.

'He is no longer with us but he remains the guiding light for my decisions.'

Mexico has been torn apart by a spate of gang violence linked to drugs. More than 30,000 peopl ahve been killed in clashes between rival drug cartels and security forces since President Felipe Calderon launched his drug offensive in 2006.

The country's mayors have become prominent targets - as have women holding office.

In December, it emerged that female police chief Hermila Garcia, had become just the latest victim of the bloody war.

The 38-year-old had only taken over as the top law enforcement officer in the town of Meoqui two months before her death.

La Jefa, as she was known, had taken on the role when no man was prepared to do it

Bloody warfare: In one of the latest Mexico shootings a police officer investigates the aftermath of an incident at a shopping centre in Ciudad Juarez