Skip to main content

Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems and Student Engagement in Elementary and Secondary School Students

Journal of Youth and Adolescence volume 49, pages 2327–2346 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Students with externalizing or internalizing behavior problems are at increased risk of underachievement and school non-completion, often due to their lower school engagement. Two studies were undertaken to assess the unique and joint (i.e., interactive) associations between behavior problems and engagement during two developmental periods; childhood and adolescence. These studies also aim to disentangle the contribution of global (externalizing and internalizing) and specific (hyperactivity/inattention, opposition/defiance, anxiety, depression) behavior problems on the global and specific aspects of student behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Study 1 was conducted among a sample of elementary school students (n = 1036; 3rd to 6th grade; mean age = 9.94 y.o.; 47.30% female; majority native Canadians) and Study 2 was conducted in secondary school (n = 1011; 7th and 8th grade; mean age = 12.93 y.o.; 55.77% female; 60.64% from immigrant background). Results of the bifactor-CFA and path analyses from both studies indicate that global externalizing behaviors were associated with lower global and specific behavioral engagement. In Study 1, global internalizing behaviors were also associated with lower global and specific cognitive engagement, whereas specific anxiety was associated with lower global and specific emotional engagement. In Study 2, specific depressive symptoms were associated with lower global and specific emotional engagement. Together, these two studies suggest that externalizing behaviors remain risk factors for student disengagement during childhood and adolescence, but that the risk posed by internalizing behaviors increases in importance for older students.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Notes

  1. The literature review was conducted using the PsycInfo and Web of Science search engines as well (keywords details: (anxi* or depress* or internali* or hyperac* or inatten* or aggress* or defian* or opposit* or disrupt* or externali*) and (engag* or motiva*) and (school or student or classroom or acad*) which were restricted to the title and peer reviewed articles). The search yield a total of 234 article. Of those, 63 were retained based on the title, and 20 matched the inclusion criterial, namely to assess at least one behavior problem in association student engagement or a closely related measure (motivation achievement goals (n = 4), pre-school learning skills (n = 3), and school connectedness (n = 1) are excluded from Table 1, but discussed in the text when appropriate). Studies that assessed a subject-specific adjustment problem (e.g., mathematic anxiety) or focusing solely on delinquency involving illegal actions (e.g., bringing drugs to school) or outside of school delinquency (e.g., gang participation) were also excluded from Table 1. Screening the reference list of the retained article (i.e., forward snowballing) yield an additional 3 studies also reported in Table 1.

  2. See Appendix 2 for a detailed description of the measurement models.

  3. The original scale included a fifth item (“This student steals from home, school, or elsewhere.”). However, because of the rarity of this behavior in elementary school children and the difficulty for teachers to observe “hidden” behaviors, this item was not included in this study.

  4. See Appendix 2 for a detailed description of the measurement models.

References

  • Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. S. (1978). The classification of child psychopathology: a review and analysis of empirical efforts. Psychological Bulletin, 85(6), 1275–1301.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Hendawi, M. (2012). Academic engagement of students with emotional and behavioral disorders: existing research, issues, and future directions. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 17(2), 125–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Archambault, I., & Dupéré, V. (2016). Joint trajectories of behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement in elementary school. The Journal of Educational Research, 110(2), 188–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Archambault, I., Janosz, M., Fallu, J. S., & Pagani, L. S. (2009). Student engagement and its relationship with early high school dropout. Journal of Adolescence, 32(3), 651–670.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Archambault, I., Janosz, M., Morizot, J., & Pagani, L. S. (2009). Adolescent behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement in school: relationship to dropout. Journal of School Health, 79(9), 408–415.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Archambault, I., & Vandenbossche-Makombo, J. (2014). Validation de l’échelle des dimensions de l’engagement scolaire (ÉDES) chez les élèves du primaire. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 46(2), 275–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Archambault, I., Vandenbossche-Makombo, J., & Fraser, S. L. (2017). Students’ oppositional behaviors and engagement in school: the differential role of the student-teacher relationship. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(6), 1702–1712.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, J. A., Grant, S., & Morlock, L. (2008). The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behaviors. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(1), 3–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bierman, K. L., & Sasser, T. R. (2014). Conduct disorder. In M. Lewis & K. D. Rudolph (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychopathology, 3rd Ed. (pp. 467–487). New York, NY: Springer.

  • Birmaher, B., Brent, D. A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Screen fo Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): a replication study. Journal of the American Academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(10), 1230–1236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blais, M., Hess, U., & Riddle, A. S. (2002). A multi-group investigation of the CES-D’s measurement structure across adolescents, young adults and middle-aged adults. CIRANO Working Papers, 2002s-36.

  • Caci, H., Morin, A. J., & Tran, A. (2015). Investigation of a bifactor model of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(10), 1291–1301.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, S. B., Halperin, J. M., & Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S. (2014). A developmental perspective on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In M. Lewis & K. D. Rudolph (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychopathology, 3rd Ed. (pp. 427–448). New York, NY: Springer.

  • Capron, C., Thérond, C., & Duyme, M. (2007). Psychometric properties of the French version of the self-report and teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 23(2), 79–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., Houts, R. M., Belsky, D. W., Goldman-Mellor, S. J., Harrington, H., Israel, S., Meirer, M. H., Ramrakha, S., Shalev, I., Poulton, R., & Moffitt, T. E. (2014). The p factor: one general psychopathology factor in the structure of psychiatric disorders? Clinical Psychological Science, 2(2), 119–137.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(3), 464–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curhan, A. L., Rabinowitz, J. A., Pas, E. T., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2020). Informant discrepancies in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in an at-risk sample: the role of parenting and school engagement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(1), 311–322.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dart, E. H., Arora, P., Collins, T. A., Stark, K., Cook, C. R., Duong, M. T., McCarthy, C. A., & Doll, B. (2020). Developing a brief behavior rating scale for progress monitoring of depression in school settings. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 45(3), 163–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demaray, M. K., & Jenkins, L. N. (2011). Relations among academic enablers and academic achievement in children with and without high levels of parent-rated symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Psychology in the Schools, 48(6), 573–586.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derdikman-Eiron, R., Indredavik, M. S., Bratberg, G. H., Taraldsen, G., Bakken, I. J., & Colton, M. (2011). Gender differences in subjective well-being, self-esteem and psychosocial functioning in adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and depression: findings from the Nord-Trondelag health study. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 52(3), 261–267.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DiStefano, C., Zhu, M., & Mindrila, D. (2009). Understanding and using factor scores: considerations for the applied researcher. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 14(20), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorio, N. B., Secord Fredrick, S., & Demaray, M. K. (2019). School engagement and the role of peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and rumination. Journal of Early Adolescence, 39(7), 962–992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, G. J., Dowsett, C. J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A. C., Klebanov, P., Pagani, L. S., Feinstein, L., Engel, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Sexton, H., Duckworth, K., & Japel, C. (2007). School readiness and achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), 1428–1446.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S. & Roeser, R. W. (2009). Schools, academic motivation, and stage-environment fit. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.). Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 404–434). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

  • Eisenberg, N., Valiente, C., Spinrad, T. L., Liew, J., Zhou, Q., Losoya, S. H., Reiser, M., & Cumberland, A. (2009). Longitudinal relations of children’s effortful control, impulsivity, and negative emotionality to their externalizing, internalizing, and co-occurring behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 45(4), 988–1008.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Enders, C. K. (2010). Applied missing data analysis. New York, NY: Guildford.

  • Evans, G. W., Li, D., & Whipple, S. S. (2013). Cumulative risk and child development. Psychological Bulletin, 139(6), 1342–1396.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fiorilli, C., De Stasio, S., Di Chiacchio, C., Pepe, A., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2017). School burnout, depressive symptoms and engagement: their combined effect on student achievement. International Journal of Educational Research, 84, 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flake, J. K., & Petway, K. R. (2019). Methodologies for investigating and interpreting student-teacher rating incongruence in noncognitive assessment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 38(1), 63–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredricks, J. A., Filsecker, M., & Lawson, M. (2016). Student engagement, context, and adjustment: addressing definitional, measurement, and method issues. Learning and Instruction, 43, 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, M. (2005). Children and adolescents as respondents. Journal of Official Statistics, 21, 701–725.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garber, J., & Rao, U. (2014). Depression in children and adolescents. In M. Lewis & K. D. Rudolph (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychopathology, 3rd Ed. (pp. 489–520). New York, NY: Springer.

  • Garvik, M., Idsoe, T., & Bru, E. (2014). Depression and school engagement among Norwegian secondary vocational school students. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58(5), 592–608.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillen-O’Neel, C. G., Ruble, D. N., & Fuligni, A. J. (2011). Ethnic stigma, academic anxiety, and intrinsic motivation in middle childhood. Child Developement, 82(5), 1470–1485.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gogol, K., Brunner, M., Martin, R., Preckel, F., & Goetz, T. (2017). Affect and motivation within and between school subjects: development and validation of an integrative structural model of academic self-concept, interest, and anxiety. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 49, 46–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(11), 1337–1345.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gut, J., Heckmann, C., Meyer, C. S., Schmid, M., & Grob, A. (2012). Language skills, mathematical thinking, and achievement motivation in children with ADHD, disruptive disorders, and normal controls. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(3), 375–379.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoge, R. D., Meginbir, L., Khan, Y., & Weatherall, D. (1985). A multitrait-multimethod analysis of the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 13, 119–127.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jarrett, M., Siddiqui, S., Lochman, J., & Qu, L. (2014). Internalizing problems as a predictor of change in externalizing problems in at-risk youth. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 43(1), 27–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Junod, R. E. V., DuPaul, G. J., Jitendra, A. K., Volpe, R. J., & Cleary, K. S. (2006). Classroom observations of students with and without ADHD. Journal of School Psychology, 44(2), 87–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konold, T., Cornell, D., Shukla, K., & Huang, F. (2017). Racial/ethnic differences in perceptions of school climate and its association with student engagement and peer aggression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(6), 1289–1303.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurdi, V., & Archambault, I. (2020). Self-perceptions and engagement in low socio-economic elementary school students: the moderating effects of immigration status and anxiety. School Mental Health, 12, 400–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Bebiroglu, N., Phelps, E., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (2008). Out-of-school time activity participation, school engagement and positive youth development: findings from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. Journal of Youth Development, 3(3), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., & Lerner, R. M. (2011). Trajectories of school engagement during adolescence: implications for grades, depression, delinquency, and substance use. Developmental Psychology, 47(1), 233–247.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little, T. D. (2013). Longitudinal structural equation modeling. New York, NY: The Guildford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., Hau, K. T., & Grayson, D. (2005). Goodness of fit in structural equation models. In A. Maydeu-Olivares & J. J. McArdle (Eds.), Contemporary psychometrics (pp. 275–340). Mahwah: NJ: Erlbaum.

  • Marsh, H. W., Hau, K. T., Wen, Z., Nagengast, B., & Morin, A. J. S. (2013). Moderation. In T. D. Little (Ed.), Oxford handbook of quantitative methods. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

  • MEES. (2019). Diplomation et qualification par commission scolaire au secondaire. Québec, Qc: Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec.

  • Moilanen, K. L., Shaw, D. S., & Maxwell, K. L. (2010). Developmental cascades: externalizing, internalizing, and academic competence from middle childhood to early adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 22(3), 635–653.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Morin, A. J. S., Arens, A. K., Maiano, C., Ciarrochi, J., Tracey, D., Parker, P. D., & Craven, R. G. (2017). Reciprocal relationships between teacher ratings of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in adolescents with different levels of cognitive abilities. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 46(4), 801–825.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morin, A. J. S., Boudrias, J. S., Marsh, H. W., Madore, I., & Desrumaux, P. (2016). Further reflections on disentangling shape and level effects in person-centered analyses: an illustration exploring the dimensionality of psychological health. Structural Equation Modeling, 23(3), 438–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2019). Mplus user’s guide. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

  • Nguyen, M. N., Watanabe-Galloway, S., Hill, J. L., Siahpush, M., Tibbits, M. K., & Wichman, C. (2019). Ecological model of school engagement and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-aged children. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28(6), 795–805.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nivard, M. G., Lubke, G. H., Dolan, C. V., Evans, D. M., St Pourcain, B., Munafo, M., & Middeldorp, C. M. (2017). Joint developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing disorders between childhood and adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 29(3), 919–928.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2018). Equity in education: breaking down barriers to social mobility. Paris: PISA, OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olivier, E., & Archambault, I. (2017). Hyperactivity, inattention, and student engagement: the protective role of relationships with teachers and peers. Learning and Individual Differences, 59, 86–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olivier, E., Archambault, I., & Dupéré, V. (2018). Boys’ and girls’ latent profiles of behavior and social adjustment in school: longitudinal links with later student behavioral engagement and academic achievement? Journal of School Psychology, 69, 28–44.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olivier, E., Archambault, I., & Dupéré, V. (2020). Do needs for competence and relatedness mediate the risk of low engagement of students with behavior and social problem profiles? Learning & Individual Differences, 78, No pagination specified.

  • Papachristou, E., & Flouri, E. (2019). The codevelopment of internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and cognitive ability across childhood and adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plamondon, A., & Martinussen, R. (2019). Inattention symptoms are associated with academic achievement mostly through variance shared with intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23(14), 1816–1828.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randazzo, K. V., Landsverk, J., & Ganger, W. (2003). Three informants’ reports of child behavior: parents, teachers, and foster parents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(11), 1343–1350.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reitz, E., Deković, M., & Meijer, A. M. (2005). The structure and stability of externalizing and internalizing problem behavior during early adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(6), 577–588.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, A. K., Miller-Lewis, L. R., Sawyer, M. G., & Baghurst, P. A. (2013). Predictors of children’s kindergarten classroom engagement: preschool adult–child relationships, self-concept, and hyperactivity/inattention. Early Education & Development, 24(8), 1112–1136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, E. A., Kindermann, T. A., Connell, J. P., & Wellborn, J. G. (2009). Engagement and disaffection as organizational construct in the dynamics of motivational development. In K. R. Wentzel & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Handbook of motivation at school (pp. 223–246). New York, NY: Routledge.

  • Smith, S. R. (2007). Making sense of multiple informants in child and adolescent psychopathology: a guide for clinicians. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 25(2), 139–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tardif-Grenier, K., Olivier, É., & Archambaul, I. (2019). Is there an immigrant paradox in Canadian elementary students’ behavioral and social adjustment? International Journal of School & Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2019.1631237.

  • Tian, Y., Bian, Y., Han, P., Gao, F., & Wang, P. (2017). Class collective efficacy and class size as moderators of the relationship between junior middle school students’ externalizing behavior and academic engagement: a multilevel study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trembaly, R. E., Desmarais-Gervais, L., Gagnon, C., & Charlebois, P. (1987). The Preschool Behavior Questionnaire: stability of its factor structure between cultures, sexes, ages and socioecconomic classes. Internationnal Journal of Behavioral Development, 10, 467–484.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2020). World inequality database on education. Montréal, QC: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasey, M., Bosmans, G., & Ollendick, T. (2014). The developmental psychopathology of anxiety. In M. Lewis & K. Rudolph (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychopathology. 3rd Ed. (pp. 543–560). New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volpe, R. J., DuPaul, G. J., DiPerna, J. C., Jitendra, A. K., Lutz, J. G., Tresco, K., & Junod, R. E. V. (2006). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and scholastic achievement: A model of mediation via academic enablers. School Psychology Review, 35(1), 47–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, F. L., Eisenberg, N., Valiente, C., & Spinrad, T. L. (2016a). Role of temperament in early adolescent pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems using a bifactor model. Development and Psychopathology, 28(4pt2), 1487–1504.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M.-T., Chow, A., Hofkens, T., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2015). The trajectories of student emotional engagement and school burnout with academic and psychological development: findings from Finnish adolescents. Learning and Instruction, 36, 57–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., & Eccles, J. S. (2012). Adolescent behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement trajectories in school and their differential relations to educational success. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22(1), 31–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., Fredricks, J., Ye, F., Hofkens, T., & Linn, J. S. (2019). Conceptualization and assessment of adolescents’ engagement and disengagement in school. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 35(4), 592–606.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., & Fredricks, J. (2014). The reciprocal links between school engagement, youth problem behaviors, and school dropout during adolescence. Child Developement, 85(2), 722–737.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., Fredricks, J. A., Ye, F., Hofkens, T. L., & Linn, J. S. (2016b). The Math and Science Engagement Scales: scale development, validation, and psychometric properties. Learning and Instruction, 43, 16–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., & Peck, S. C. (2013). Adolescent educational success and mental health vary across school engagement profiles. Developmental Psychology, 49(7), 1266–1276.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 68–81.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willner, C. J., Gatzke-Kopp, L. M., & Bray, B. C. (2016). The dynamics of internalizing and externalizing comorbidity across the early school years. Development and Psychopathology, 28(4pt1), 1033–1052.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The first author was supported by funding from the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). The second author was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2018-0368). Data collection was supported by grants from the Fonds de recherche Société et culture (elementary school project: #131430; secondary school project: 2018-NP-205005) and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (secondary school project; 430-2018-00456). The fifth author was also supported by funding from the Canada Research Chairs program.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Elizabeth Olivier, Alexandre J. S. Morin

Affiliations

  1. Substantive-Methodological Synergy Research Laboratory, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Elizabeth Olivier & Alexandre J. S. Morin

  2. Département de Psychoéducation, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jessika Langlois & Isabelle Archambault

  3. Département de psychoéducation et de psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada

    Kristel Tardif-Grenier

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Olivier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alexandre J. S. Morin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jessika Langlois
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kristel Tardif-Grenier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Isabelle Archambault
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

E.O. conceived the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, and wrote the original and revised manuscript; A.J.S.M. conceived the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, and wrote the original and revised manuscript; J.L. participated to the literature review and to writing the original and revised manuscript; K.T.G. provided the data and participated to writing the original and revised manuscript; I.A. provided the data and participated to writing the original and revised manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data Sharing and Declaration

The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and with permission of I.A. and K.T.-G.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Olivier.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study were approved by the ethics committee of the University of Montreal. This research complies with APA’s ethical standards in the treatment of human samples and with the highest ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Active informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study, both teachers and students. Parents also gave their active consent for their child to participate.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Olivier, E., Morin, A.J.S., Langlois, J. et al. Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems and Student Engagement in Elementary and Secondary School Students. J Youth Adolescence 49, 2327–2346 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01295-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01295-x

Keywords

  • Externalizing behaviors
  • Internalizing behaviors
  • Student engagement
  • Bifactor-CFA