Citation

Doumen S, Verschueren K, Buyse E, Germeijs V, Luyckx K, Soenens B. J. Clin. Child Adolesc. Psychol. 2008; 37(3): 588-599.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Center for School Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. sarah.doumen@psy.kuleuven.be

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15374410802148079

PMID

18645749

Abstract

In recent developmental theorizing, it has been hypothesized that teacher-child conflict and children's externalizing behavior affect one another reciprocally over time. However, the relation between teacher-child conflict and externalizing behavior has been mainly studied from a unidirectional point of view. Therefore, this study aimed to test the hypothesis of bidirectionality by means of a cross-lagged longitudinal design with kindergarten teacher reports on core variables at 3 measurement occasions in 1 year. Structural equation modeling with data of 148 kindergartners provided evidence for the hypothesis of bidirectionality. Specifically, results supported a transactional sequence in which children's aggressive behavior at the beginning of kindergarten led to increases in teacher-child conflict midyear, which in turn led to an increase of aggressive behavior at the end of the kindergarten school year.

Language: en