Dyadic Affective Flexibility: Measurement Considerations and the Impact of Youth Internalizing Symptoms on Flexibility

Abstract Background Most epidemiological studies show a decrease of internalizing disorders at older ages, but it is unclear how the prevalence exactly changes with age, and whether there are different patterns for internalizing symptoms and traits, and for men and women. This study investigates the impact of age and sex on the point prevalence across different mood and anxiety disorders, internalizing symptoms, and neuroticism. Methods We used cross-sectional data on 146 315 subjects, aged 18–80 years, from the Lifelines Cohort Study, a Dutch general population sample. Between 2012 and 2016, five current internalizing disorders – major depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and panic disorder – were assessed according to DSM-IV criteria. Depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, neuroticism, and negative affect (NA) were also measured. Generalized additive models were used to identify nonlinear patterns across age, and to investigate sex differences. Results The point prevalence of internalizing disorders generally increased between the ages of 18 and 30 years, stabilized between 30 and 50, and decreased after age 50. The patterns of internalizing symptoms and traits were different. NA and neuroticism gradually decreased after age 18. Women reported more internalizing disorders than men, but the relative difference remained stable across age (relative risk ~1.7). Conclusions The point prevalence of internalizing disorders was typically highest between age 30 and 50, but there were differences between the disorders, which could indicate differences in etiology. The relative gap between the sexes remained similar across age, suggesting that changes in sex hormones around the menopause do not significantly influence women's risk of internalizing disorders.

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Testing Invariance of Measures of Internalizing Symptoms Before and After a Major Life Stressor: The Impact of COVID-19 in an Adolescent and Young Adult Sample

Assessment ◽

10.1177/10731911211015315 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107319112110153

Author(s):

Thomas M. Olino ◽

Julia A. C. Case ◽

Mariah T. Hawes ◽

Aline Szenczy ◽

Brady Nelson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Measurement Properties ◽

Major Life ◽

Longitudinal Measurement Invariance ◽

Longitudinal Measurement ◽

Before And After ◽

Life Stressor ◽

The Impact ◽

Consistent Support

There are reports of increases in levels of internalizing psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these studies presume that measurement properties of these constructs remained unchanged from before the pandemic. In this study, we examined longitudinal measurement invariance of assessments of depression, anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in adolescents and young adults from ongoing longitudinal studies. We found consistent support for configural and metric invariance across all constructs, but scalar invariance was unsupported for depression and IU. Thus, it is necessary to interpret pandemic-associated mean-level changes in depression and IU cautiously. In contrast, mean-level comparisons of panic, generalized, and social anxiety symptoms were not compromised. These findings are limited to the specific measures examined and the developmental period of the sample. We acknowledge that there is tremendous distress accompanying disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, for some instruments, comparisons of symptom levels before and during the pandemic may be limited.

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Witnessing Cyberbullying and Internalizing Symptoms among Middle School Students

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education ◽

10.3390/ejihpe10040068 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 957-966 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Diana M. Doumas ◽

Aida Midgett

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Somatic Symptoms ◽

The United States ◽

School Bullying ◽

School Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cyberbullying Victimization ◽

The Impact

Cyberbullying is a significant problem among school-aged youth. Cyberbullying peaks in middle school with 33% of middle school students reporting cyberbullying victimization and more than 50% reporting witnessing cyberbullying as bystanders. Although the association between cyberbullying victimization and internalizing symptoms is well documented, there is limited research examining the impact of witnessing cyberbullying on bystanders. To assess differences in internalizing symptoms between cyberbullying bystanders and non-bystanders, a school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among middle school students (6th–8th grade) in the United States (N = 130; 57.4% female; 42.6% male). Questionnaire data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of co-variance (MANCOVA) with three outcome variables (depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms) and the between-subject factor bystander status (bystander, non-bystander). We controlled for witnessing school bullying to examine the unique effect of witnessing cyberbullying on internalizing symptoms. Results of the MANCOVA indicated a significant effect for cyberbullying bystander status (p < 0.04). Post hoc analyses demonstrated that bystanders reported significantly higher levels of depression (p < 0.05), anxiety (p < 0.02), and somatic symptoms (p < 0.01) than non-bystanders. Findings suggest that programs to support students who witness cyberbullying are needed to reduce the mental health risks associated with being a cyberbullying bystander.

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The Impact of Racial Discrimination and Coping Strategies on Internalizing Symptoms in African American Youth

Journal of Youth and Adolescence ◽

10.1007/s10964-008-9377-5 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 532-543 ◽

Cited By ~ 94

Author(s):

Noni K. Gaylord-Harden ◽

Jamila A. Cunningham

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

African American Youth ◽

And Coping ◽

The Impact

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Increase of internalized mental health symptoms among adolescents during the last three decades

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 925-931 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ida Blomqvist ◽

Eva Henje Blom ◽

Bruno Hägglöf ◽

Anne Hammarström

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Conduct Problems ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Response Rate ◽

Self Report ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Previous studies suggest an overall increase of adolescent mental health symptoms globally since the 1980s until today, especially an increase of internalizing symptoms in girls. Due to methodological limitations of these studies, further studies are warranted to obtain a more solid knowledgebase. Methods This study was cross-sectional and compared two separate but geographically identical groups of adolescents in a middle-sized industrial municipality in Northern Sweden at two time-points [(i) 1981, n = 1083, (505 girls, 577 boys), response rate 99.7%; (ii) 2014, n = 682, (338 girls, 344 boys), response rate 98.3%]. All students in their last year of compulsory school were included. The same self-report questionnaire, consisting of four sub-scales (functional somatic-, anxiety-, depressive symptoms and conduct problems), was used at both occasions. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, two-way ANOVA and general linear model. Results Symptoms of anxiety and depression and functional somatic symptoms, increased among both boys and girls from 1981 until 2014 (P < 0.001 for all subscales), and the increase of these symptoms was higher in girls. Conduct problems were significantly higher in boys in 1981 and decreased over time so that in 2014 there was no longer a significant difference between boys and girls regarding conduct problems (P = 0.286). Conclusion In this population-based study spanning over 30 years, both girls and boys showed increasing internalizing problems, while conduct problems decreased. To halt this trend, we need a deeper understanding of the impact of the major societal changes that have occurred during the last three decades.

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The differential impact of parent and peer-related interpersonal stress on risk for psychopathology: An examination across three timescales

10.31234/osf.io/4srj3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

James L. Huettig ◽

John Coleman Flournoy

Keyword(s):

Peer Relationships ◽

Family Relationships ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Family Stress ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Self Report ◽

Interpersonal Stress ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Peer Stress ◽

The Impact

***This is a draft preprint meant to solicit input from the broader scientific community prior to finalization and is thus subject to substantial changes before publication.*** Adolescence is a developmental period, during which peer relationships and interactions become more influential. Existing literature on the effects of relationship quality on mental health outcomes, however, has found that family relationships have robust effects on internalizing symptoms, and peer relationships have an inconsistent impact depending on measures and study design. This has led to a narrative that familial relationships remain the primary interpersonal factor in emerging psychopathology throughout adolescence even though this inferred difference between family and peer environments has never been directly tested. In the present series of three studies, we examined how family and peer relationships separately influence concurrent and prospective internalizing symptoms during adolescence. With a coordinated methodological approach across two independent samples, we utilized multiple types of measurements to analyze the impact these interpersonal domains across complementary timescales (yearly, monthly, and within-day) in two different samples. Study 1 relied on a sample of 169 male and female participants, 8-17 years old, and Studies 2 and 3 relied on a sample of 30 females, who were 15-17 years old. We used linear regression and mixed-effect modeling to examine the comparative between- and within-person effects of family versus peer stress on depression and anxiety, while controlling for other forms of stress. We found that stress from family relationships has consistent between- and within-person effects on internalizing outcomes at all time scales, and often times this leads to family stress being significantly more influential than peer stress. This pattern is not always true, though, as individual difference in episodic (event-based) stress from peers shows a pattern of being more influential on internalizing symptoms than differences in episodic family stress. Subsequently peer environments appear to affect psychopathology more through via episodic stressors like conflicts and arguments than on chronic indicators of status among peers. Finally, unexpected patterns related to whether objective and self-report stress measures were used suggest that within-person effects of episodic interpersonal stress potentially function largely through individuals’ perceptions instead of the objective situation.

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The Impact of Adolescent Substance Use on Family Functioning

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x16688708 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 504-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Beth S. Russell ◽

Emily Simpson ◽

Kaitlin M. Flannery ◽

Christine M. Ohannessian

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Family Functioning ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Family Cohesion ◽

Adolescent Substance Use ◽

Adolescent Substance ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Impact

This longitudinal study sought to investigate associations between adolescent substance use and family functioning and whether internalizing symptoms play a mediating role in this relationship; based on growing evidence from the literature, we also explored gender differences. Participants ( N = 1,036) completed surveys in school during 2007, 2008, and 2009. Path analysis results indicated that boys’ alcohol use negatively predicted family functioning while marijuana use results indicate both significant impacts on family functioning. Further results show that boys’ depressive symptoms mediated the relationships between alcohol use and family cohesion and adaptability. For girls, depressive symptoms negatively predicted family functioning (cohesion, adaptability, communication with mother/father), whereas anxiety symptoms positively predicted this same set of family functioning outcomes with the exception of communication with father.

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Internalizing symptoms and loneliness: Direct effects of mindfulness and protection against the negative effects of peer victimization and exclusion

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025419876358 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 51-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sarah J. Clear ◽

Melanie J. Zimmer-Gembeck ◽

Amanda L. Duffy ◽

Bonnie L. Barber

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Dispositional Mindfulness ◽

Negative Effects ◽

And Coping ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

The Impact

Drawing from dispositional mindfulness research and stress and coping theories, we tested whether adolescents’ dispositional mindfulness was associated with perceptions of peer victimization and exclusion and internalizing symptoms. We further explored the role of dispositional mindfulness as a protective factor buffering the impact of peer victimization and exclusion (PVE) on internalizing symptoms. Participants were 361 (40% boys) adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years ( M = 14.9, SD = 1.4) who completed a questionnaire to assess dispositional mindfulness, perceptions of PVE, social anxiety and depressive symptoms, and loneliness. As expected, more frequent experience of PVE was associated with reporting more symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Further, adolescents who reported higher dispositional mindfulness also reported fewer symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and loneliness, even after controlling for gender and experiences of PVE. Dispositional mindfulness was not protective against (i.e., did not buffer) the effects of PVE on internalizing symptoms. Instead, we found that PVE had a stronger association with symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and loneliness when mindfulness was high relative to when it was medium or low. Yet, victimization was associated with greater social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and loneliness at all levels of mindfulness.

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The role of childhood generalized anxiety in the internalizing cluster

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291719002484 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (13) ◽

pp. 2272-2282 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kirsty S. Lee ◽

Tracy Vaillancourt

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Child Maltreatment ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Socioeconomic Indicators ◽

Parent Reports ◽

Individual Level ◽

Self Reports ◽

The Impact

AbstractBackgroundAnxiety, depression and somatization (the internalizing cluster) are highly comorbid, prevalent and associated with significant individual and societal costs. Although prior studies have examined their natural course, there has been a little investigation into how symptoms unfold at the individual level. We examined the intraindividual (within-person) temporal patterning of symptom development and the impact of risk factors (sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, bullying victimization, child maltreatment) on symptom means and trajectories (between-person), comparing youth and parent reports.MethodOver a 7-year interval from age 11 to 17, children (n = 669; 54% girls; 79% White) and parents (89% mothers) reported on symptoms of anxiety and depression from age 11 and somatization from age 13. Autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals were used to uncouple within- and between-person sources of variance.ResultsAccording to self-reports, generalized anxiety consistently predicted depression, while anxiety and depression consistently predicted somatization. Anxiety also had an indirect effect on somatization via depression. According to parent reports, there were several bidirectional effects between anxiety and depression and between depression and somatization. Experiences of abuse were consistent risk factors for self-reported internalizing symptoms, and across informants, girls had higher symptom means and rising trajectories compared to boys.ConclusionGeneralized anxiety plays an important role in adolescent depressive and somatic symptoms. Primary prevention of anxiety may be warranted to curb symptom continuity and the development of comorbidity. Research is needed to determine whether self-reports of anxiety should be prioritized over parent reports and continued efforts are needed to reduce bullying and child maltreatment.

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