Academic Performance and Social Skills in Head Start Students: Comparisons Based on a Cluster Analysis of Hyperactivity and Aggression

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Introduction: Two types of child externalizing behavior, hyperactivity and aggression, are particularly common among young children with or without psychopathology (e.g., Van Zeijl et al., 2006). Both hyperactivity and aggression have been linked to deficits in many adaptive behavior areas, including academic performance (Friedman-Weieneth et al., 2007) and social skills (Barkley, 2004). To build on previous work in this area, the current study examined whether joint and disjoint groups based on hyperactivity and aggression could be distinguished among preschoolers. The study also determined whether certain combinations of hyperactivity and aggression are associated with more negative performance on measures of academics and social skills within an at-risk sample of youths participating in Head Start.

Method: Participants were 1,693 children (841 females, 852 males) between the ages of 34 and 70 months who participated in the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) project (2000 cohort) conducted with children attending Head Start centers. Demographic data were collected from parents; behavioral data (items from the Child Behavior Checklist for Preschool-Aged Children, Teacher Report Form; Achenbach et al., 1987) and social skills data (Social Skills Rating System; Elliott et al., 1988) were based on teacher ratings; and academic performance (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; PPVT-III; Dunn & Dunn, 1997) was measured by directly testing the children.

Results: Results of a cluster analysis indicated support for our hypothesis that hyperactivity and aggression existed in this at-risk sample in joint (low on both or high on both) and disjoint (high hyperactivity/low aggression or high aggression/low hyperactivity) presentations (Table 1). As predicted, after accounting for relevant demographic variables (see table note), the group with joint high levels of hyperactivity and aggression had the lowest academic performance and social skills (Table 2). Likewise, as shown in Table 2, the group with disjoint higher levels of aggression and lower hyperactivity had more problematic social skills than the group with disjoint higher levels of hyperactivity and lower aggression, whereas (counter to our hypothesis) the reverse was true for academic performance.

Discussion: The findings from our study were consistent with previous literature - we obtained evidence supporting the presence of unique clusters among youths who exhibited externalizing behavior. Further, each cluster exhibited differential relations to our criterion variables of academic performance and social skills. For example, our findings suggest a greater deficit in academic performance associated with hyperactivity, as opposed to aggression. In contrast, the opposite pattern emerged for social skills – a) individuals who had higher aggression and b) individuals with higher aggression and higher hyperactivity exhibited significantly worse social skills ratings than individuals who did not have elevated aggression ratings, suggesting a greater need to focus on aggression than hyperactivity. Overall, these findings suggest the need for interventions designed to concurrently and individually target hyperactivity and aggression, depending on the desired outcome areas of the intervention. In addition, the significance of demographic variables in our study further suggests the importance of considering the unique contributions of situational contexts affecting those in low-income, disadvantaged settings when designing interventions.

Authors

• Austin F. Lau, Washington State University
  Presenting Author

• Tammy D Barry, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author