Peer nominations of emotional expressivity among urban children: Social and psychological correlates

The current study examined associations between peer nominations of children's expression of negative emotions and psychological, social, and behavioral correlates a sample of 523 first graders. Children (85 percent African-American) completed a peer nomination measure for expressing negative emotions. addition, three other domains of functioning were assessed using multiple raters: internalizing symptoms (self, parent), externalizing behavior (parent, teacher), and social competence (parent, teacher). Regression analyses indicated that peer nominations of negative emotions predicted higher levels of teacher-rated externalizing behavior and lower levels of teacher-rated social competence. Peer nominations of emotions were significantly associated with teacher ratings but unrelated to self- and parent-report measures. Adding to a small but growing literature, our findings underscore the importance of assessing peer perceptions of children's emotional expressivity and their associations to social and psychological functioning an urban, predominantly African-American sample.