Peer Effects on Aggressive Behavior in Norwegian Child Care Centers

Abstract

This study examined whether exposure to changes in peer aggression predicted changes in child physical aggression (PA) in preschool children attending Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers. Data from the Behavior Outlook Norwegian Developmental Study were used, including 956 children. In fixed effects models, within-child changes in exposure to peer aggression predicted changes in teacher-rated child PA across ages 2, 3, and 4. Moreover, changes in exposure to a peer group with two or more externalizing children increased teacher-rated child PA over time, but only for boys. No significant peer effects on parent-rated child PA were found. Findings point to the importance of avoiding the congregation of several problematic children, particularly boys, in the same ECEC groups.

Developmental trajectories of physical aggression and prosocial behavior in early childhood: Family antecedents and psychological correlates.

“…Because of a combination of biological and contextual factors, some children fail to acquire these skills—or develop alternative strategies adaptive in such environments (Suor, Sturge-Apple, Davies, & Cicchetti, 2017)—heightening the potential for a cascade of aggression and dysfunction across the life span. In the context of supportive parent–child relationships, however, experiencing situations where aggressive tactics are used by others to solve disputes and accomplish goals, such as through exposure to family conflict (Cummings & Davies, 2010), harsh discipline (Olson et al, 2017), or aggressive peer interactions (Ribeiro & Zachrisson, 2017), may increase the odds that some children will develop both antisocial and prosocial strategies for navigating their social milieu. This interpretation is also consistent with theoretical accounts concerning the origins of deliberate versus impulsive profiles of aggression (Hubbard et al, 2010).…”

Pathways to behavior problems in Norwegian kindergarten children: The role of parent emotion socialization and child emotion understanding

“…In a sample of 75,271 1.5–3‐year‐old Norwegian children, Zachrisson, Dearing, Lekhal, and Toppelberg (2013) found little evidence that many hours spent in high quality child care caused externalizing problems in children. Some evidence does, however, suggest an increased risk for boys (aged 2 to 4 years of age) for developing externalizing behavior difficulties when exposed to peer groups of two or more peers with behavior problems in child care (Ribeiro & Zachrisson, 2019). Conversely, Havnes and Mogstad (2011) found strong positive effects of time spent in kindergartens on Norwegian children’s later educational attainment.…”

Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 Conceptual Framework

“…Children from socio-economically disadvantaged families, and from ethnically diverse families, often attend centres with other children from similar backgrounds (Becker and Schober, 2017). Merging evidence from both the United States and Norway suggests that peers in ECEC influence both language-and socio-emotional development (Justice et al, 2011, Neidell and Waldfogel, 2010, Ribeiro and Zachrisson, 2017. Thus, the peer-group composition influences children's development.…”