The psycho-social adjustment of gifted children in middle-childhood

The psycho-social adjustment of 50 gifted (mean IQ=127) and 50 German ten-year-olds of average intelligence (mean IQ=106, matched individually on socio-economic status and gender) was compared. Data from different sources (children, parents, teachers) on social behaviour, (therapy-relevant) behaviour problems, and emotional stability revealed no significant differences between the two ability groups. Gifted elementary-school children are socially and emotionally at least as well adjusted as their non-gifted age-mates.     

Group identification in early adolescence: its relation with peer adjustment and its moderator effect on peer influence

This study was conducted to test whether group identification (importance of the group to the individual) covaried with individual-group similarity on problem behavior; and whether group identification moderated peer group influence on the individual's development of delinquent behavior across a 1-year period. The level of reciprocated nominations within the individual's self-nominated group was controlled for in all analyses. Participants were 190 sixth and seventh graders (during the first year of the study) from the north of Italy. Level of reciprocated nominations within the group, but not identification, was found to covary with individual-group behavioral similarity (group behavior interacted with reciprocity of group nominations in predicting individual behavior). Group identification, but not reciprocated nominations, was found to moderate peer group influence on the individual's change in delinquent behavior, across 1 year. The individual's peer status within the classroom, level of reciprocated nominations, and gender all were related to the individual's level of group identification. Results are discussed in terms of understanding peer group influence on the individual.     

The consequences of early adjustment to university

Universities establish various first yearprograms designed to assist students in thetransition from high school. American researchfocussing specifically on first yearadjustment, and general models of educationaloutcomes, suggest that early adjustment resultsin positive outcomes such as relatively highgrades and credit completion. An examinationof students entering York University in TorontoCanada in 1995 shows, however, that earlyadjustment may have only a very slight impacton first year grades and completed credits andno implications for five year outcomes. Findings such as these may indicate thatstudents who do not make an early adjustment touniversity in Canada may not necessarily bedisadvantaged. The difference between thesefindings, research on American campuses, andthe assumptions of American models of studentoutcomes, may result from general differencesin the post-secondary experience in the twonations.     

Children's friendship choices: Effects of school behavior

This study addresses three issues: (a) Which attributes characterize children's friendship choices? (b) Which show sex differences? (c) Which dimensions of teacher ratings of behavior contribute to peer selections? The issue of peer-teacher relatedness is addressed by obtaining peer nominations for certain attributes and independent measures of behavior that have been shown to be related to peer popularity. The results demonstrate that: (a) Peer acceptance is indexed by “Like to Sit By,” and this pattern is generally similar for boys and girls, with the exception of the dimension “Good at Games,” which characterizes boys' choosing peers. (b) The data on peer acceptance and rejection do not result in simple, bipolar dimensions, since these are not highly negatively correlated. (c) When peer nominations are assessed for possible teacher influences, an interesting sex difference emerges: girls prefer not to sit next to children whom their teachers rate as high in behavior problems.     

Childhood peer status as predictor of midadolescence peer situation and social adjustment

This longitudinal study examined the relation between stable sociometric status among same‐gender classmates at age 10–11 and peer situation and social adjustment at age 15. Rejected, popular, and average groups of both genders (N = 90) were selected from a representative school sample. Rejected boys and girls preserved their low position among same‐gender class peers at age 15. They also had low status among cross‐gender class peers. Furthermore, rejected children perceived their peer situation as worse compared to other children. As expected, adolescents had most of their peers in ordinary or conventional peer categories, that is, same‐age peers, class peers, and other school peers. Rejected participants had a smaller number of conventional peers than other children in some categories (same‐age and school peers). There were, however, no peer‐status differences in nonconventional peer categories, like different‐age and antisocial peers; neither were there differences in own antisocial tendencies. Antisocial deviancy seems to be more common among boys and their peers than among girls. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 745–757, 2005.     

Peer rejection and HPA activity in middle childhood: friendship makes a difference

Exclusion and victimization by classmates were related to levels and diurnal change in cortisol in 97 fourth graders (53% boys, M = 9.3 years). Number and quality of friendships were considered as moderators. Salivary cortisol was collected 5 times daily on 2 school days. Excluded children had elevated cortisol levels at school and a flattened diurnal cortisol curve, suggesting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation. This effect was weaker for children with more friends or better friendships. Victimization was not associated with cortisol level or change. The results demonstrate the role of HPA activity in peer group processes and indicate that group and dyadic factors interact in predicting stress in the peer group.     

Differences between peer victimization in cyber and physical settings and associated psychosocial adjustment in early adolescence

The increasing use of cyberspace as a social networking forum creates a new medium for youth to become victims of peer aggression. This study used factor analysis techniques to confirm whether survey questions about frequency of cyber victimization formed a distinct latent construct from questions about relational and overt victimization information in a large (N = 1,665) sample of middle school students. A secondary goal was to relate experiences of cyber victimization to symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Results indicate that cyber victimization is separate latent factor from overt and relational victimization. Experiences of cyber victimization were weakly associated with symptoms of social anxiety, but not depression. These results signify that cyber victimization deserves future empirical and clinical attention. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Gender differences in developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection in childhood: results from two cultures

This study addressed gender differences in the developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection. High and increasing, moderate, and low antisocial developmental trajectories were identified among 289 Dutch children, ages 7 to 10, and 445 French-Canadian children, ages 9 to 12. Only boys followed the high trajectory. These boys had more deviant friends and were more often rejected than other children. A minority of girls followed the moderate antisocial behavior trajectory. These girls had fewer deviant friends than moderate antisocial boys, but moderate antisocial boys and girls were equally likely to be rejected. The influence of friends and poor peer relations plays a crucial but different role in the development of antisocial behavior among boys and girls.     

母亲社交指导与青少年同伴适应:一项来自皮肤电的证据

帮助青少年管理同伴压力,降低不良适应的风险,是当下学校教育者和父母都在思考的重要问题。有研究发现,父母在青少年面临同伴压力时会倾向于提供帮助和指导建议。但不同类型的社交指导建议(如参与性建议和自立性建议)对青少年同伴适应的影响并不相同。这可以部分地用青少年面临压力挑战和父母参与时存在的个体差异来解释。皮肤电水平反应(Skin Conductance Level Reactivity,简称SCLR)能反映出个体在家庭养育背景下应对不同环境线索时所作出的生理反应(如生理唤醒和抑制反应)。基于“生物一心理一社会”视角,青少年的自主神经系统活动可能与家庭因素相互作用,共同预测青少年的适应能力。     

Observed peer victimization during early elementary school: continuity, growth, and relation to risk for child antisocial and depressive behavior

The rate at which 266 boys and girls ages 5 to 7 years old were victimized by peers was observed on multiple occasions in kindergarten and first grade. Individual differences in victimization were observed at kindergarten entry and in growth over the subsequent 2 years. Victimization increased for some children but decreased for others. Growth in victimization was reciprocally related to growth in teacher-reported antisocial and depressive behavior for boys. For girls, kindergarten victimization was related to growth in parent-reported antisocial behavior, teacher-reported depressive behavior to growth in victimization, and growth in victimization to parent-reported depression. At a short-term group level, antisocial behavior had a lagged suppressive effect on victimization for boys but a facilitating effect for girls.     

The breadth of peer relationships among preschoolers: an application of the Q-connectivity method to externalizing behavior

Preschoolers' (M(age) = 48.7 months) social breadth (the number of peer children interact with and the frequency of these interactions) and the relations between breadth and externalizing behaviors were examined using the Q-connectivity method. After considering age, sex, and classroom effects on social breadth, children's externalizing behaviors were studied in relation to levels of social breadth across variations in frequency of exposure to peers and to patterns of decline in social breadth. Externalizing preschoolers occasionally interacted with most of their classmates. However, their individual peer networks moderately to rapidly became selective, and they engaged in repeated interactions with a relatively small number of peers. Although there were no sex effects, significant age and classroom effects were obtained.     

The impact of a rubric and friendship on peer assessment: Effects on construct validity,performance, and perceptions of fairness and comfort

Construct validity of peer assessment (PA) is important for PA application, yet difficult to achieve. The present study investigated the impact of an assessment rubric and friendship between the assessor and assessee on construct validity of PA. Two-hundred nine bachelor students participated: half of them assessed a peer's concept map with a rubric whereas the other half did not use a rubric. The results revealed a substantial reliability and construct validity for PA. All students over-score their peers’ performance, but students using a rubric were more valid. Moreover, when using a rubric a high level of friendship between assessor and assessee resulted in more over-scoring. Use of a rubric resulted in higher quality concept maps for peer and expert ratings.     

The effects of social skills training and peer involvement on the social adjustment of preadolescents

This study examined the effects of social skills training and peer involvement on the peer acceptance of disliked preadolescents. 56 fifth- and sixth-grade children were identified as unaccepted by their peers and deficient in conversational skills. These children were then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions: (1) conversational skills training (individual coaching), (2) peer involvement under superordinate goals (group experience), (3) conversational skills training combined with peer involvement (group experience with coaching), and (4) a no-treatment control. Differential treatment effects were observed at both a posttreatment and follow-up assessment. As predicted, conversational skills training promoted skill acquisition and increased skillful social interaction. Peer involvement increased peer acceptance and children's self-perceptions of their social efficacy. The results were interpreted in terms of a developmentally based multidimensional model of social competence.     

Associations between interpersonal behavior and friendship quality in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined concurrent associations between aggression, withdrawal, assertion, and prosocial behavior and each of positive and negative friendship quality across studies with 22,657 children and adolescents (M_age = 11.71 years; 51.7% girls; 67.7% White). Studies were published between 1995 to 2021 and 32.4% were conducted outside of North America. Aggression was linked to more negative,  = .19, 95% CI [.14, .24], and less positive,  = −.05 [−.08, −.01], friendships. Withdrawal was associated with less positive friendships,  = −.13 [−.18, −.08], whereas prosocial behavior was related to more positive,  = .29 [.22, .37], as well as less negative,  = −.16 [−.20, −.12], friendships. Assertion was related to more positive friendships,  = .15 [.01, .28].     

Developing social strategies to overcome peer rejection of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Investigation of 265 children's attitudes towards vignettes of Year 5 peers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) revealed strong rejection of Hyperactive and Combined subtypes, relative to Inattentive subtypes and non‐ADHD controls. The social difficulties of children with ADHD may be understood within Barkley's theoretical model of ADHD (Barkley, 1997) that links deficits in response inhibition with four executive neuropsychological functions contributing to social cognition. The theory is also helpful in predicting strategies that may be facilitated by teacher intervention to construct improved social relationships among children with and without ADHD.     

The social context of early schooling and children's school adjustment

The transition to elementary school is a major developmental milestone in the life of a child. It has been estimated that a significant number of children experience academic, social-emotional, or behavioral difficulties as they adapt to the challenges of formal schooling. Furthermore, these difficulties are compounded by poverty, often co-occur, and persist over time. This article explores the relation between the social context of early schooling; that is, features of the classroom and school environment and children's adjustment. A contextual understanding of early school adjustment fills an important gap in the literature and provides direction for future research.     

The role of chronic peer difficulties in the development of children's psychological adjustment problems

A longitudinal investigation was conducted to explicate how the confluence of early behavioral dispositions, relational histories, and cognitive representations of the self and others contributes to internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and loneliness. One-hundred and ninety three girls, and 206 boys were assessed annually from age 5 (kindergarten) to age 10 (Grade 4). Early aggressive behavior was related to Grade 4 maladjustment directly and indirectly through subsequent relational stressors. Significant associations emerged between chronic friendlessness and rejection and later adaptation not accounted for by concurrent relational difficulties. Self- and peer beliefs partially mediated the relation between peer difficulties and internalizing problems and loneliness. The results highlight the utility of child-by-environment models as a guide for the investigation of processes that antecede psychosocial maladjustment.     

Preschool children's school adjustment: indicators of behaviour problems,gender, and peer victimisation

The relationships among school adjustment, victimisation, and gender were investigated with 284 Turkish children aged between five and six years. Teacher Rating Scale of School Adjustment, The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire, and Peer Victimisation Scale were used in this study. Analyses indicated that children's behaviour problems and victimisation variables were significant predictors of the school adjustment of children while controlling for gender.