Relation of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and internalizing problems in junior high school students: Links with daily school experiences and self-esteem

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and internalizing problems, as mediated by daily school experiences and self-esteem. Junior high school students (N = 826) completed a self-report questionnaire concerning their daily experiences with schoolwork and their relationships with friends at school, their self-esteem, and internalizing problems. Their homeroom teachers (N =22) rated each student's inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Analysis of the data revealed that the inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity ratings were positively correlated with negative scores on daily school experiences, and that those experiences were negatively correlated with the students' self-esteem scores. Higher scores on negative daily school experiences and lower self-esteem scores were related to higher scores on internalizing problems, whereas the total of the ratings of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity was not directly correlated with the scores on either self-esteem or internalizing problems.