Abstract
The school placement of 122 aggressive, 150 withdrawn, 182 aggressive-withdrawn, and 299 control children was determined 3 years following their original selection. Children identified by peers as aggressive-withdrawn or aggressive were more likely to have failed a grade or to be in a special class than were withdrawn children or controls. Older aggressive-withdrawn subjects and controls, but not aggressive subjects or withdrawn subjects, had higher rates of school failure and special class placement. Fewer boys than girls were in a regular class at the expected grade level. The results underline the importance of childhood aggression as a predictor of later academic adjustment. Implications of these findings for the interpretation of measures of behavioral stability are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asarnow, R., Steffy, R., MacCrimmon, D., & Cleghorn, J. (1978). An attentional assessment of foster children at risk for schizophrenia. In M. L. Wynne, R. Cromwell, & S. Matthysse (Eds.),The nature of schizophrenia (pp. 339–358). New York: Wiley.
Bell, R. Q. (1953). Convergence: An accelerated longitudinal approach.Child Development, 24, 142–145.
Blechman, E. A., Kotanchik, N. L., & Taylor, C. J. (1981). Families and schools together: Early behavioral intervention with high risk children.Behavior Therapy, 12, 308–319.
Bower, E. M., Shellhammer, T. A., & Daily, J. M. (1960). School characteristics of male adolescents who later became schizophrenic.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 30, 712–729.
Bowman, K. M. (1934). A study of the prepsychotic personality in certain psychoses.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 4, 712–729.
Coursey, R. D., Buchsbaum, M. S., & Murphy, D. L. (1980). Psychological characteristics of subjects identified by platelet MAO activity and evoked potentials as biologically at risk for psychopathology.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 89, 151–164.
Cowen, E. L., Pederson, A., Babigian, H., Izzo, L. D., & Trost, M. A. (1973). Long-term follow-up of early detected vulnerable children.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41, 438–446.
Douglas, J. W. B. (1966). The school progress of nervous and troublesome children.British Journal of Psychiatry, 112, 1115–1116.
Eme, R. F. (1979). Sex differences in chidhood psychopathology: A review.Psychological Bulletin, 86, 574–595.
Gersten, J. C., Langner, T. S., Eisenberg, J. C., Simcha-Fagan, O., & McCarthy, E. D. (1976). Stability and change in types of behavioral disturbance of children and adolescents.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 4, 111–127.
Havighurst, R. J., Bowman, P. H., Liddle, G. P., Matthews, C. V., & Pierce, J. V. (1962).Growing up in River City. New York: Wiley.
Kohlberg, L., LaCrosse, J., & Ricks, D. (1972). The predictability of adult mental health from childhood behavior. In B. Wolman (Ed.),Manual of child psychopathology (pp. 1217–1284). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kolvin, L., Garside, R. F., Nicol, A. R., Leitch, I., & MacMillan, A. (1977). Screening school-children for high risk of emotional and educational disorders.British Journal of Psychiatry, 131, 192–206.
Kohn, M. L. (1968). Social class and schizophrenia: A critical review. In D. Rosenthal & S. S. Kety (Eds.),The transmission of schizophrenia (pp. 155–173). Elmsford, New York: Pergamon Press.
Kohn, M., & Rosman, B. L. (1972). Relationship of preschool social-emotional functioning to later intellectual achievement.Developmental Psychology, 6, 445–452.
Ledingham, J. E. (1981). Developmental patterns of aggressive and withdrawn behavior in childhood: A possible method for identifying preschizophrenics.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 9, 1–22.
Ledingham, J. E., Schwartzman, A. E., & Serbin, L. (1984). Current adjustment and family functioning of children behaviorally at risk for schizophrenia. In A. B. Doyle, D. Gold, & D. Moskowitz (Eds.),Children in families under stress: Research strategies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Maccoby, E., & Jacklin, C. (1974).The psychology of sex differences. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Mednick, S., & Schulsinger, F. (1970). Factors related to breakdown in children at high risk for schizophrenia. In M. Roff & D. Ricks (Eds.),Life history research in psychopathology (pp. 51–93). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Mednick, S. A., Schulsinger, F., & Garfinkel, R. (1975). Children at high risk for schizophrenia: Predisposing factors and intervention. In M. L. Kietzman, S. Sutton, & J. Zubin (Eds.),Experimental approaches to psychopathology (pp. 451–463). New York: Academic Press.
Michael, C. M., Morris, O. P., & Soroker, E. (1957). Follow-up studies of shy, withdrawn children II: Relative incidence of schizophrenia.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 27, 331–337.
Morris, P., Soroker, E., & Burruss, G. (1954). Follow-up studies of shy, withdrawn children: Evaluation of later adjustment.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 24, 743–755.
Mulligan, G., Douglas, J. W. B., Hammond, W. A., & Tizard, J. (1963). Delinquency and symptoms of maladjustment: The findings of a longitudinal study.Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 56, 1083–1086.
Neal, J. M., & Weintraub, S. (1975). Children vulnerable to psychopathology: The Stony Brook high-risk project.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 3, 95–113.
Pekarik, E. G., Prinz, R. J., Liebert, D. E., Weintraub, S., & Neale, J. M. (1976). The pupil evaluation inventory: A sociometric technique for assessing children's social behavior.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 4, 83–97.
Quay, H. C. (1979). Classification. In H. C. Quay & J. S. Werry (Eds.),Psychopathological disorders of childhood (pp. 1–42). New York: Wiley.
Robins, L. N. (1974).Deviant children grown up. Huntington, New York: Robert E. Krieger.
Robins, L. N. (1979). Follow-up studies of behavior disorders in children. In H. C. Quay & J. S. Werry (Eds.),Psychopathological disorders of childhood. (2nd Ed.). (pp. 483–513). New York: Wiley.
Rolf, J. E. (1972). The social and academic competence of children vulnerable to schizophrenia and other behavior pathologies.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 80, 225–243.
Watt, N. F., Stolorow, R. D., Lubensky, A. W., & McClelland, D. C. (1970). School a adjustment and behavior of children hospitalized for schizophrenia as adults.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 40, 637–657.
Westman, J. C., Rice, D. L., & Bermann, E. (1967). Nursery school behavior and later school adjustment.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 37, 725–731.
Wittman, M. P., & Steinberg, L. (1944). A study of prodromal factors in mental illness with special reference to schizophrenia.American Journal of Psychiatry, 100, 811–816.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The research reported here was supported by Quebec Ministry of Social Affairs Grant RS 281 to Jane Ledingham and Alex Schwartzman. The authors would like to thank the Commission des Ecoles Catholiques de Montréal for their continuing cooperation in this project, and Debbie Moskowitz and Alastair Younger for their constructive comments on an earlier draft.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ledingham, J.E., Schwartzman, A.E. A 3-Year follow-up of aggressive and withdrawn behavior in childhood: Preliminary findings. J Abnorm Child Psychol 12, 157–168 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00913467
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00913467