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Peer victimization, poor academic achievement, and the link between childhood externalizing and internalizing
Pol A C van Lier1, Frank Vitaro, Edward D Barker
1VU University Amsterdam.
Child Development
|June 22, 2012
Summary
Externalizing problems in young children disrupt academic success and social experiences, increasing risks for internalizing issues. These negative outcomes can also worsen externalizing behaviors over time.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Externalizing problems in early childhood are linked to various negative outcomes.
- Understanding the developmental pathways of childhood behavioral problems is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how externalizing problems affect academic functioning and peer victimization in early elementary school children.
- To examine if these factors predict the development of internalizing problems.
- To explore the bidirectional relationship between internalizing and externalizing problems.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 1,558 Canadian children aged 6–8 years.
- Annual assessments of externalizing and internalizing problems, peer victimization, and school achievement.
- Statistical analysis to determine predictive pathways.
Main Results:
- Externalizing problems were associated with academic underachievement and peer victimization.
- Academic underachievement and peer victimization predicted increases in both internalizing and externalizing problems.
- These effects were consistent for both boys and girls; no link from internalizing to externalizing problems was found.
Conclusions:
- Early externalizing behaviors create a cycle of academic and social difficulties that can exacerbate both externalizing and internalizing problems.
- Interventions targeting externalizing behaviors may mitigate broader developmental risks in children.
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