Longitudinal associations between deviant peer affiliation and externalizing behavior in Chinese preadolescence: Differentiating between‐person effects from within‐person effects

Abstract The present study employed the cross‐lagged panel model and the random intercepts cross‐lagged panel model to investigate the longitudinal association between deviant peer affiliation and externalizing behavior in Chinese preadolescents. A sample of 1987 students, comprising 56.10% male participants with a mean age of 12.32 years (SD = 0.53), from Guangdong and Shandong provinces, completed the Deviant Peer Affiliation Scale and the Externalizing Behavior Scale in biannual surveys. The surveys were conducted in the autumn semester of 7th grade, the spring semester of 7th grade, and the autumn semester of 8th grade. The cross‐lagged panel model illustrated a bidirectional association between adolescents' involvement with deviant peers and externalizing behavior. Conversely, the random intercepts cross‐lagged panel model indicated a positive association between deviant peer affiliation and externalizing behavior at the between‐person level. At the within‐person level, a significant predictive correlation was identified between the association with deviant peers and subsequent externalizing behavior, whereas the reverse pathway was determined to be statistically insignificant. To comprehend the connection between deviant peer association and externalizing behavior in preadolescence, it is essential to differentiate between between‐person and within‐person effects and utilize a sophisticated research methodology.