Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2004-09
Internalising and externalising problems in middle childhood: A study of Indian (ethnic minority) and English (ethnic majority) children living in Britain
The psychological adjustment of ethnic minority children has received little research
attention, particularly in Britain. The present study set out to investigate the
adjustment of Indian children living in Britain as well as the adjustment of their
English peers. The sample consisted of 125 children (66 Indian and 59 English)
between the ages of 7 and 9 years (M = 8.51, SD = 0.62) and their
parents and teachers. Mothers, fathers, and teachers reported about the
children’s problem behaviour, and parents also reported on their
acculturation strategy and use of their Indian language. Analyses revealed that
overall Indian children seem to be well adjusted in Britain. Nevertheless, according
to parental reports, they exhibited more internalising problems than did their
English peers. No significant differences, however, were found for externalising or
total problem behaviour. Furthermore, within the Indian group, it was found that
children whose mothers and fathers were more traditional in their acculturation
style displayed lower levels of externalising, internalising and total problem
behaviour, according to their teachers. In addition, children whose mothers and
fathers utilised their Indian language to a greater extent displayed lower levels of
externalising and total problem behaviour (teachers’ reports). These
findings highlight the importance of examining the adjustment of ethnic minority
children in multiple contexts.
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