Does Indirect Aggression Affect Teacher-Student Relationships? Evidence From a Four-Year RI-CLPM

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Guimond C, Boutin S, Déry M, Temcheff C. (2025). Does Indirect Aggression Affect Teacher-Student Relationships? Evidence From a Four-Year RI-CLPM. School Mental Health, 17, 816-832.

Résumé

While direct aggression negatively affects teacher–student relationships, the association with indirect aggression (IA), a form of aggression used to damage victims’ interpersonal relationships, is understudied and could vary due to its covert nature. Furthermore, the directionality of the association (i.e., whether students’ behaviors affect the relationship or vice-versa) is unclear. The present study examined the associations between IA and teacher–student relationships over four years using random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM). The association between direct aggression and teacher–student relationships was also examined. Participants were 744 students (46.8% girls; mean age 8.4 years) in elementary schools. Indirect and direct aggression behaviors were measured from age nine to age 12 using parents’ ratings, while teacher-student relations were rated by the teachers. Results indicated that at the between-person level, students with higher levels of IA or direct aggression reported more conflict with their teacher (p < .001). Also, students with higher levels of direct aggression reported less closeness with their teacher (p < .01). At the within-person level, cross-lagged effects showed that IA at 10 years old positively predicted teacher-student conflicts one year later (p < .05), only for boys. These results supported a child-driven model for IA and conflicts for boys of 10 and 11 years old. They suggest that IA could negatively influence the quality of teacher–student relationships, underscoring the need for interventions specifically targeting IA.

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