Verbal abuse by the teacher during childhood and academic, behavioral, and emotional adjustment in young adulthood.

Abstract

Using a prospective design spanning 17 years, the authors studied in a sample of 231 boys and girls the predictive links of verbal abuse by the teacher during childhood to high-school graduation and behavioral and emotional problems in young adulthood, as well as the putative mediating role of individuals' generalized and domain-specific self-concept in this context. Results show that verbal abuse by the teacher during childhood was positively related to behavior problems and (for girls) a low probability of having obtained a high school diploma by age 23 years, even when controlling for childhood levels of antisociality, anxiety, school performance, and social preference in the peer group. No conclusive evidence was found for a mediation effect of children's general or domain-specific self-concept, however. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.