Exploring the Additive Associations of Parent SES and Child Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors on Home-School Communication

This study explored additive effects of parent socioeconomic status and child internalizing and externalizing on primary caregiver-reported home-school communication (HSC) quantity and teacher-reported HSC quality and quantity. We ran six structural equation models using longitudinal data from 4,897 families in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Educational attainment and income-to-needs were positively associated with teacher-reported HSC quantity and quality. For caregiver-reported HSC quantity, there was a positive association with educational attainment but a negative association with income-to-needs. Child Externalizing was negatively associated with teacher-reported quality and positively associated with caregiver-reported quantity. Lastly, child internalizing was negatively associated with teacher-reported quantity and positively associated with caregiver-reported quantity. Findings provide insight into parent and child factors that impact HSC.