Peer Rejection and School Adjustment: The Mediating Role of Behavioral Challenges

• In Event: Child Development and Interactions

Abstract

The study aimed to reveal the mediating role of behavioral challenges between peer rejection and school adjustment in children. Data was collected for sample of elementary school students in Turkey (n=791). Path analysis supported the mediating role of behavioral challenges between peer rejection and school adjustment in general. Furthermore, being aggressive with peers didn’t have a mediating role between peer rejection and school liking and self-directiveness. On the contrary, anxious/fearful didn’t have a mediating role between peer rejection and collaborative participation and school avoidance. The children’s school adjustment could, to some extent, be explained by their peer rejection and behavioral challenges.

Authors

• Selen Demirtas Zorbaz, Ankara University

• Cigdem Akin Arikan, Ordu University