Longitudinal Study on the Co‐Occurrence of Peer Problems at Daycare Centre, in Preschool and First Grade of School

Abstract

This longitudinal research was designed to examine the prevalence and co‐occurrence of peer problems such as rejection, withdrawal, loneliness, bullying, and victimization experienced by children (99 boys, 80 girls) in their everyday lives at daycare, in preschool and first grade of school—each successive spring—at the ages of 5, 6, and 7. Children were evaluated in individual testing sessions each year by peer interviews consisting of separate assessments of all problems. The results supported our hypothesis that children’s peer problems were common, indicating co‐occurrence, variability, and stability as well as changes over the years. There were some children who had a poorer prognosis than the others because their disadvantaged positions within their peer groups seemed to be unchanging between the successive years.

Keywords:

• bullying
• loneliness
• rejection
• victimization
• withdrawal