<p>Various aspects of elementary school children's behavior problems were investigated in four studies. In Study I, teachers’ perceived low control over the classroom situation and a custodial teacher orientation were associated with teachers' (n = 86) preferences for authoritarian strategies (e.g., firm commands) in handling externalizing child behavior problems. Further, perceived high control and a humanistic teacher orientation were associated with non-authoritarian strategies (e.g., reasoning with students). In Study II, the aim was to investigate prospectively teacher-child interactions and teacher-child perceptions of the relationship between children with externalizing (n=26) and internalizing (n=25) behavior problems and unproblematic children (n=44) in the first grade. Children with behavior problems had a higher frequency of negative teacher relationships than unproblematic children. Observed conflictual children-teacher interactions contributed to negative teacher relationships independent of problem status. The moderating effects of social competence were small. In Study III, the principal aim was to investigate whether the children’s social competence, relationships with teachers and behavior with peers functioned as protective or exacerbating factors regarding the adaptation of children with behavior problems. Children with externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in comparison with unproblematic children, were lower in social competence, school achievement and peer acceptance in sixth grade. There were moderating and independent effects of social competence and teacher and peer relationships on outcomes, but these were mainly restricted to those children with internalizing problems. The primary aim of Study IV was to investigate the social and school adjustment of six-grade children experiencing feelings of loneliness and low peer acceptance. Totally, 808 children participated, and 323 of these children had been followed from grade 1 to grade 6. The results indicated that loneliness was most strongly predicted by early internalizing problems, whereas poor acceptance was predicted by early externalizing problems and poor social competence. Associations between loneliness and low peer acceptance and other adjustment difficulties were also observed. In conclusion, children with behavior problems risk negative relationships as well as other adjustment problems. Early interventions are important in strengthening the protective factors.</p>

Various aspects of elementary school children's behavior problems were investigated in four studies. In Study I, teachers’ perceived low control over the classroom situation and a custodial teacher orientation were associated with teachers' (n = 86) preferences for authoritarian strategies (e.g., firm commands) in handling externalizing child behavior problems. Further, perceived high control and a humanistic teacher orientation were associated with non-authoritarian strategies (e.g., reasoning with students). In Study II, the aim was to investigate prospectively teacher-child interactions and teacher-child perceptions of the relationship between children with externalizing (n=26) and internalizing (n=25) behavior problems and unproblematic children (n=44) in the first grade. Children with behavior problems had a higher frequency of negative teacher relationships than unproblematic children. Observed conflictual children-teacher interactions contributed to negative teacher relationships independent of problem status. The moderating effects of social competence were small. In Study III, the principal aim was to investigate whether the children’s social competence, relationships with teachers and behavior with peers functioned as protective or exacerbating factors regarding the adaptation of children with behavior problems. Children with externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in comparison with unproblematic children, were lower in social competence, school achievement and peer acceptance in sixth grade. There were moderating and independent effects of social competence and teacher and peer relationships on outcomes, but these were mainly restricted to those children with internalizing problems. The primary aim of Study IV was to investigate the social and school adjustment of six-grade children experiencing feelings of loneliness and low peer acceptance. Totally, 808 children participated, and 323 of these children had been followed from grade 1 to grade 6. The results indicated that loneliness was most strongly predicted by early internalizing problems, whereas poor acceptance was predicted by early externalizing problems and poor social competence. Associations between loneliness and low peer acceptance and other adjustment difficulties were also observed. In conclusion, children with behavior problems risk negative relationships as well as other adjustment problems. Early interventions are important in strengthening the protective factors.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan opredicerbara föräldrar och förekomsten av både interna och externa beteendeproblem hos ungdomar. I studien undersöks interna beteendeproblem såsom låg självkänsla och depression samt de externa beteendeproblemen brottslighet och aggression. Studien baseras på 1018 ungdomar i åldrarna 13- 15 år. Studien utgår från en enkätundersökning där fem olika skalor används för att mäta ungdomarnas självkänsla, depression, brottslighet och aggression samt hur konsekventa deras föräldrar är. Resultaten visar i allt väsentligt att de ungdomar som har både interna och externa beteendeproblem är de som rapporterar högst i opredicerbarhet hos sina föräldrar. / The purpose with this study is to investigate if there is an association between unpredictable parents and the occurrence of both internal and external behavior problems among adolescents. The study considers the internalizing behavior problems low self-esteem and depression and the externalizing behavior problems delinquency and aggression. The study consists of 1018 adolescents in ages between 13 and 15 years old. The study is based on a questionnaire where five scales are used to measure the participating adolescent’s self-esteem, depression, delinquency and aggression and their view on how consistent their parents are. The result shows that those adolescents who have both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems where those who reported highest in unpredictability in their parents.

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Différents éléments peuvent influencer le fonctionnement socio-émotionnel des enfants et agir comme facteurs de protection ou facteurs de risque. Il est maintenant bien reconnu que ces facteurs proviennent d’éléments propres à l’enfant ainsi que d’aspects provenant de l’environnement dans lequel il grandit. Cette thèse se centre sur les facteurs intrinsèques et environnementaux les plus étudiés concernant le développement socio-émotionnel des enfants durant la petite enfance: le tempérament de l’enfant et la qualité des relations mère-enfant. Peu d’études se sont intéressées à l’interface entre le tempérament et la qualité des relations mère-enfant mesurés dans la petite enfance pour prédire le fonctionnement socio-émotionnel à l’âge scolaire. Pourtant, l’âge scolaire est marqué d’une étape de transition des plus saillantes du développement des enfants, c’est-à-dire l'entrée scolaire. L'ajustement socio-émotionnel des enfants au cours des premières années d’école est l'un des principaux facteurs influençant leur adaptation scolaire (Robson et al., 2020). Il est donc essentiel de comprendre pourquoi certains enfants fonctionnent mieux que d'autres sur ce plan durant l’âge scolaire. Le premier article explorait le rôle modérateur de la qualité des interactions mère-enfant, observée à 2 ans, dans la relation entre la tendance à la colère des enfants et leurs comportements intériorisés, extériorisés et prosociaux à l’entrée scolaire. Les résultats ont montré que la tendance à la colère des tout-petits prédisait des difficultés socio-émotionnelles chez ceux-ci, principalement dans le contexte d’une meilleure qualité d’interactions mère-enfant. Le deuxième article examinait les liens prédictifs entre le soutien maternel à l’autonomie (observé à 15 mois) et les trajectoires des comportements intériorisés et extériorisés des enfants mesurés de 2 à 7 ans, en contrôlant les dimensions négatives du tempérament des enfants. Les résultats du deuxième article ont montré que plus les mères soutenaient l’autonomie de leur enfant, plus les comportement intériorisés augmentaient lentement dans les années subséquentes et plus les comportements extériorisés diminuaient rapidement. / Different elements can act as protective or risk factors for child socioemotional functioning. It is now well recognized that these elements come from child-specific as well as environmental factors. This thesis focuses on the most studied intrinsic and environmental factors concerning child socioemotional development during toddlerhood: child temperament and mother-child relationship quality. Few studies have investigated the interplay between temperament and mother-child relationships in toddlerhood in the prediction of child socioemotional functioning in the early school years. Yet, this period includes a major developmental transition, namely school entry. Young children’s socioemotional adjustment during this period is one of the main factors influencing their school adaptation (Robson et al., 2020). It is therefore essential to understand why some children adapt better than others in early school years. The first article explored the moderating role of mother-child interactions quality, observed at 2 years old, in the association between child anger proneness and internalizing, externalizing and prosocial behaviors at school entry. The results showed that child anger proneness predicted socioemotional difficulties, primarily in the context of better mother-child interactions quality. The second article examines the predictive links between maternal autonomy support (observed at 15 months) and the trajectories of internalizing and externalizing behaviors measured from 2 to 7 years, while controlling for the negative dimensions of child temperament. The results showed that the more mothers supported their child's autonomy, the more internalizing behavior increased slowly and the more externalizing behavior decreased rapidly in later years.