Teacher's response to internalizing and externalizing symptomatology in children.

Abstract

It is of interest to understand the role teacher responses to their students may have in contributing to the maintenance of childhood emotional, behavioral and social problems. This study examined the differences between children's internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior and well functioning behaviors with teacher's levels of interpersonal attractiveness or personal rejection. A sample of 182 teachers drawn from an educational conference were randomly selected to view one of three video taped vignettes in which a child actor was portrayed as depressed (internalizing symptomatology), inattentive and hyperactive (externalizing symptomatology), or as well functioning (no apparent clinical symptomatology). The child portrayed with internalizing behavior was perceived by teachers to be less interpersonally attractive compared to the other two conditions. However, the child portrayed with externalizing behaviors was perceived negatively on both social responding measures of interpersonal attractiveness and personal rejection compared to the well functioning child condition. This suggests that children exhibiting internalizing or externalizing behavior are perceived differently as well as negatively by influential adults in their lives, placing them at risk for further psychological difficulties.