Social and Academic Profiles of Externalizing and Internalizing Groups: Risk Factors for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Three groups of third-grade students classified as either Externalizers (n = 30), Internalizes (n = 55) or Controls (n = 96) were contrasted on 19 measures in social and academic domains using multivariate analyses. Based on these analyses, a series of descriptive discriminant function analyses were undertaken to determine the best predictors of Externalizing and Internalizing group membership. Of 19 variables, those that best predicted Externalizing status compared to Controls were critical events, social skills, academic competence, peer acceptance, negative narrative comments, math, and reading, in that order. Variables that best predicted Internalizing status compared to Controls were social skills, academic competence, math, critical events, reading, peer acceptance, and negative narrative comments. Variables that best separated students on Externalizing and Internalizing status were critical events, disciplinary referrals, social impact, academic self-concept, school absences, peer acceptance, and academic competence. Cross-validated classification analyses correctly classified 97% of the Externalizing group and 89% of the Internalizing group compared to Controls. A classification analysis contrasting Externalizers and Internalizes resulted in correct classification rates of 63% and 84%, respectively. Contrary to much research in special education, both Externalizing and Internalizing groups appeared to have adequate academic self-concepts and social self-concepts. These findings were interpreted in light of recent work on positive illusory biases and the hypothesized relationship between unrealistically positive self-evaluations and psychological adjustment.