A cross-domain growth analysis: Externalizing and internalizing behaviors during 8 years of childhood

In a sample of 405 children assessed in kindergarten through the seventh gr ade, we determined the basic developmental trajectories of mother-reported and teacher-reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors using cross- domain latent growth modeling techniques. We also investigated the effects of race, socioeconomic level, gender, and sociometric peer-rejection status in kindergarten on these trajectories. The results indicated that, on aver age, the development of these behaviors was different depending upon the so urce of the data. We found evidence of the codevelopment of externalizing a nd internalizing behaviors within and across reporters. In addition, we fou nd that African-American children had lower levels of externalizing behavio r in kindergarten as reported by mothers than did European-American childre n but they had greater increases in these behaviors when reported by teache rs. Children from homes with lower SES levels had higher initial levels of externalizing behaviors and teacher-reported internalizing behaviors. Males showed greater increases in teacher-reported externalizing behavior over t ime than did the females. Rejected children had trajectories of mother-repo rted externalizing and internalizing behavior that began at higher levels a nd either remained stable or increased more rapidly than did the trajectori es for non-rejected children which decreased over time.