Social competence, externalizing, and internalizing behavioral adjustment from early childhood through early adolescence: developmental cascades

Abstract

This study used a three-wave longitudinal design to investigate developmental cascades among social competence and externalizing and internalizing behavioral adjustment in a normative sample of 117 children seen at 4, 10, and 14 years. Children, mothers, and teachers provided data. A series of nested path analysis models was used to determine the most parsimonious and plausible cascades across the three constructs over and above their covariation at each age and stability across age. Children with lower social competence at age 4 years exhibited more externalizing and internalizing behaviors at age 10 years and more externalizing behaviors at age 14 years. Children with lower social competence at age 4 years also exhibited more internalizing behaviors at age 10 years and more internalizing behaviors at age 14 years. Children who exhibited more internalizing behaviors at age 4 years exhibited more internalizing behaviors at age 10 years and more externalizing behaviors at age 14 years. These cascades among social competence and behavioral adjustment obtained independent of child intelligence and maternal education and social desirability of responding.

Figure 1

Hypothesized cascade models that were sequentially tested.

Figure 2

Standardized solution for the final model on the total sample (N = 117). In this figure, numbers associated with single-headed arrows are standardized path coefficients; numbers associated with double-headed arrows are standardized covariance estimates. Arrows associated with dependent variables are error variances and represent the amount of variance not accounted for by paths in the model.

Figure 3

Standardized solution for the final model with covariate analyses on the total sample (N = 117). In this figure, numbers associated with single-headed arrows are standardized path coefficients; numbers associated with double-headed arrows are standardized covariance estimates. Arrows associated with dependent variables are error variances and represent the amount of variance not accounted for by paths in the model.