Children's perceptions of the relationship with the teacher: Associations with appraisals and internalizing problems in middle childhood

•Teacher-related appraisals matter for internalizing problems.•Low teacher–child relationship quality is related to negative appraisals.•Negative perceptions matter more than positive perceptions for internalizing problems.

In this study, we aimed to examine the associations between child-perceived teacher–child relationships, children's appraisals of interactions with their teacher, and internalizing problems. Five hundred third- to sixth-graders reported about their experiences of closeness, conflict, and negative expectations in the relationship with their teacher. Furthermore, their appraisals of fictive interactions with their teachers were measured. Internalizing problems were measured by children's self-reported depression, anxiety, and somatic complaints. The negative relation between closeness and internalizing problems in children was fully mediated by children's appraisals. The associations between conflict and negative expectations, respectively, and children's internalizing problems were only partly mediated. Effects for the negative relationship dimensions as well as the negative appraisals in the associations were stronger than effects for positive perceptions about the teacher. It can be concluded that child perceptions about the teacher matter for internalizing children.