Internalizing and Externalizing symptoms in children who are rejected by peers

Studies have found that children who experience rejection are at risk for concurrent and/or later adjustment problems, with respect to social and emotional functioning. This study aimed to investigate possible links between social-status in school classes and symptoms related to internalizing and externalizing in childhood. Children were recruited in primary and secondary schools in Lombardy, Italy. 1094 participants were selected on the basis of the attribution of social-status by peers. Children’s behavior and symptoms were assessed by their parents, teachers and by means of self-evaluations. The following measures were administered: the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001); the Conners Rating Scale-Revised (CRS-R; Conners, 1997); the Depression and Anxiety in Youth Scale (TAD; Newcomer, Barenbaum & Bryant, 1995) and the Form & Function Aggressive Behavior Questionnaire (Little, Jones, Henrich & Hawley, 2003). Results indicated that rejected children reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms, in particular depression and anxiety, as well as externalizing problems such as aggressiveness. Parents and teachers however, tended to only focus on externalizing behaviors, ignoring the internalizing symptoms.