Short-term stability of aggression, peer rejection, and depressive symptoms in middle childhood

This study investigated the short-term stability of teacher-rated aggression, peer-rated rejection, and peer-rated depressive symptoms in 478 elementary school children from 25 classrooms (first to third grades) in two geographical areas. Children who presented specific combinations of aggression, rejection, and depressive symptoms were tracked to determine the stability of these combinations from the beginning (Time 1) to the end (Time 2) of the school year. In addition, aggression, rejection, and depressive symptoms were treated as risk factors, and children were classified as displaying zero, one, two, or three risk factors at Times 1 and 2. Of the three risk factors, aggression appeared to be the most stable. Three-quarters of children who presented aggression at Time 1 (either alone or in combination with the other risk factors) were found to continue to have elevated levels of aggression at Time 2. Although specific combinations of aggression, rejection, and depressive symptoms were not very stable over time, the number of risk factors a child displayed at Time 1 was a good predictor of the number of risk factors the child displayed at Time 2. Stability of risk factors was comparable as a junction of child gender and ethnicity.