Based on 1,364 children across Grades 1, 3, and 5, the present study explored the mutualism of (externalizing and internalizing) behavioral problems and language, and whether social skills explained such mutualism. The random intercept cross-lagged panel models were conducted to control for between-person level variance and to explore mutualism of…

The goal of this study was to assess longitudinal, predictive relationships between community violent crime and reactive and proactive aggression. Community violent crime data were gathered from local law enforcement agencies and combined with an existing dataset of at-risk youth. Aggression was assessed by parents using the Reactive and Proactive…

The current study used latent profile analysis to find subgroups of youth based on bullying participant roles and then compared subgroups on the five bystander intervention steps (Notice, Interpret as an emergency, Accept Responsibility, Know how to Intervene, and Act). The sample included 641 fourth-eighth grade students (44.6% boys) who…

Students with mental health difficulties are at increased risk for victimization, and this risk may be exacerbated during the transition to middle school, when there is an increase in bullying behaviors. Through a social-ecological lens, the present study investigated how internalizing and externalizing problems in the fall of fifth grade were…

The present study investigates the effect of obesity and overweight on children's cognitive abilities and well-being using survey data from West Bank schools. The results show the significant adverse impact of obesity on a child's well-being by raising externalizing (behavioral) problems and increasing the probability of classifying a child with…

This work refined the complex associations between aggression (aggressive behavior and victimization) and school functioning in terms of school liking, interest, achievement, and social class climate. First, using longitudinal multilevel structural equation modeling, it was shown that aggressive behavior and victimization preceded lower school…

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential moderating role of perceived social support (school personnel, friends) and gender in the association between distinct psychopathic traits (callous-unemotional traits, narcissism, impulsivity) with bullying and victimization among 1442 Greek speaking early adolescents. Results suggested that…

Data from 790 older school-age (M[subscript age] = 10.2 years, SD = 1.2 years) girls (N = 427) and boys from Barranquilla, Colombia (N = 449) and Montréal, Canada (N = 331) were used to replicate findings reported by Valdivia et al. (2005). This prior study revealed contextual variations in the association between two measures of social behavior,…

Prospective associations linking parental responses to peer victimization (i.e., coping suggestions, school contact) with adolescents' coping and experiences of peer victimization were examined. Participants were 203 adolescents (X-bar[subscript] age = 12.16 years, SD = 0.98) and a parent (81% mothers). At Time 1, parents provided open-ended…

Victimization in early adolescence can have severe negative consequences later in life. Friendships are especially important in this time period. The present study investigated friendship selection and influence (contagion) processes with regard to victimization, as well as prosocial and aggressive characteristics of victims' friends. Using social…

Classroom disturbances impair the quality of teaching and learning, and they can be a source of strain for both teachers and students. Some studies indicate, however, that not everyone involved gets equally disturbed by the same occurrences. Altogether, there is still little solid knowledge about the teachers' and the students' subjective…

Immigrant boys show higher rates of antisocial behaviour. However, results of previous studies showed some contradictory findings in terms of intercultural differences in antisocial behaviour. In our study, we used an intercultural comparison of antisocial behaviour based on two different definitions of migration status (nationality vs. migration…

Numerous studies have confirmed the connection between the family climate and various forms of externalizing behaviour problems, such as aggressive and violent behaviour, vandalism, skipping school and running away from home, substance abuse and others. Therefore, it is of particular importance to point out those risk factors, that according to…

Concerns regarding the social-behavioral maladjustment of U.S. youth have spurred efforts among educators and policymakers to identify and remedy educational contexts that exacerbate children's anxiety, depression, aggression, and misconduct. However, investigations of the influence of collective classroom student characteristics on individuals'…

This study examined the social functioning of bistrategic youths (i.e., those who employ both aggressive and prosocial behavior) in order to further understand their social competence in peer social networks. Within our sample of 318 fifth-grade participants recruited from an urban school district in the northeastern US, bistrategic preadolescents…