A Cross-Lagged Model of Peer Rejection and Attention Problems Amongst School-Age Children

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Social Relationships

Abstract

Introduction
Extant cross-sectional studies support a strong association between peer rejection and attention problems, although the directionality of this association is not clear. Peer rejection can cause attention problems, independent of a child’s dispositions and preexisting behavioral problems (Buhs, Ladd, & Herald, 2006). Alternatively, attention problems, marked by distractibility and difficulty completing tasks, could lead to peer rejection and exclusion. Children with attention problems have relatively less friends and experience more peer rejection than peers without such problems (Bagwell et al., 2001). Evidence points to a bidirectional relationship between peer rejection and attention problems (Ji et al., 2019). The present study therefore aims to use a cross-lag model to understand the directionality between peer rejection and attention problems in children from 4th to 6th grade. It is hypothesized that students rejected by peers will exhibit attention problems in the next school year, while students with attention problems are more likely to experience peer rejection in the next school year. A conceptual model is presented in Figure 1.

Methods
The present study uses a cross-lag approach to understand the relationship between peer rejection and attention problems. Participant data from 4th to 6th grade (N = 1076) was drawn from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Peer rejection was operationalized by students’ scores on the Child Behavior with Peers scale. Teachers reported students’ tendency to be avoided, to not be chosen as a playmate, and to be excluded by peers. Attention problems were operationalized by students’ scores on the Attention Problems subscale of the Teacher Report Form (TRF). The subscale asks teachers to rate students’ tendency to display behaviors such as the inability to concentrate and sit still, restlessness, hyperactivity, and demands for attention.

Results
The model fit for the cross-lagged model was considered adequate from these model fit indices: (χ2 (10, 690) = 110.02, p < .001, CFI = .92, TLI = .90, RMSEA = .10, SRMR = .7. The final cross-lagged model had equality constraints to make the paths equal across time. The final cross-lagged model showed that past peer rejection (β = .43, p < .001) and attention problems (β = .15, p < .001) predicted future peer rejection. The cross-lagged model also showed that past attention problems (β = .39, p < .001) and peer rejection (β = .12, p < .001) predicted future attention problems (Table 1).

Discussion
The present findings corroborate the bidirectional relationship between peer rejection and attention problems amongst school-age children. Results suggest students rejected by peers are more likely to display attention problems in the next school year; similarly, students who display attention problems are more likely to be rejected by peers in the next school year. This positive, reciprocal relationship between peer rejection and attention problems implies that both variables are critical to consider for the purpose of intervention planning. Discussions aimed at reducing instances of peer rejection and attention problems in children should simultaneously consider individual and group-level factors. Implications for interventions will be further delineated.

Authors

• Helen Fann, University of California - Davis
  Presenting Author

• Tseng Vang, University of California - Davis
  Non-Presenting Author