Parent involvement and children's externalizing behavior: Exploring longitudinal bidirectional effects across gender

Publication date: April 2019Source: Journal of School Psychology, Volume 73Author(s): Julia Ogg, Christopher J. AnthonyAbstractThe current study longitudinally examined potential bidirectional associations between parents' home-based involvement, school-based involvement, and home-school communication and their children's externalizing behavior across child gender. Using the Early Childhood-Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort of 1998–99, three sets of analyses were conducted examining home involvement (n = 16,555), school involvement (n = 12,011), and home-school communication (n = 16,555). Cross-lagged panel analyses indicated a small effect of school-based involvement in kindergarten on externalizing behavior in the first grade but no other significant effects with no differences in patterns across gender. The utilized methodology also enabled an examination of longitudinal trends in different types of parent involvement across gender, which revealed important developmental differences in average parent involvement. Ultimately, the results of this study did not indicate robust unidirectional or bidirectional effects between parent involvement and student externalizing behavior. These findings are an important step forward in understanding the family variables influencing student behavior at school.
Source: Journal of School Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research