CHILD BEHAVIORS LEADING TO PEER REJECTION: A VIEW FROM THE PEER GROUP

Childrenʹs perceptions of deviant peer behaviors were examined in order to identify those behaviors most likely to result in social rejection. Factor analyses revealed three salient behavior groups leading to negative peer evaluations: Academic-Disruptive, Anxious-Depressed, and Aggressive-Antisocial. Examination of factor scores indicated that younger children were more negative toward disruptive and aggressive behaviors, whereas older participants were more negative toward withdrawn behaviors. Boys were more negative toward intemalizing behaviors, and girls were more negative toward externalizing behaviors. These findings underscore the importance of considering the peer groupʹs perception of problematic behaviors in order to identify the most socially relevant targets for intervention.