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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Correspondence to Elizabeth Olivier.

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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

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