BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL AND LEARNING ABILITIES

Behavioural difficulties during childhood and adolescence, particularly externalising symptoms such as aggression, impulsivity, and oppositional behaviour, can negatively affect academic achievement, emotional well-being, and social functioning. These difficulties are frequently associated with deficits in executive functions (EFs), including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, as well as maladaptive academic emotions and reduced school engagement. Despite their relevance, few studies have examined these associations longitudinally using multi-informant designs. The present study investigated relationships between externalising behavioural difficulties, EFs, academic emotions, and school well-being in Italian students from 4th grade of primary to 8th grade of middle school (~700 participants; 53% female), at two time points. Students completed self-report questionnaires on behavioural difficulties, learning difficulties, academic emotions, and school well-being, alongside tasks assessing inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Teachers and parents provided parallel evaluations of students’ school well-being, and parents also completed evaluations of students’ executive functioning. Correlations revealed that behavioural difficulties were significantly associated with lower school satisfaction, reduced self-efficacy, poorer teacher relationships, and higher negative academic emotions. T-tests confirmed that students with higher behavioural difficulties reported lower concentration, whereas no significant differences emerged for cognitive flexibility. GLManalyses of the BRIEF subscales indicated significant effects of behavioural difficulties on student-reported EFs, with parent-reported EFs confirming similar patterns. Regression analyses further showed that behavioural difficulties at T1 negatively predicted school satisfaction and self-efficacy at T2. These findings underscore the critical role of executive functioning and emotional regulation in explaining the impact of behavioural difficulties on school experiences. Results support early, targeted interventions aimed at enhancing executive functions and fostering adaptive academic emotions to improve students’ learning, engagement, and well-being, particularly for students with behavioural difficulties.