The role of stressful events in the development of behavioural and emotional problems from early childhood to late adolescence

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 1659-1668 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Timmermans ◽  
P. A. C. van Lier ◽  
H. M. Koot

BackgroundThere is growing evidence on the importance of experiences of stressful events in the development of psychopathology. This study aimed to investigate the role of stressful events in the continuity of internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as the cross-influence of these problems from early childhood to late adolescence.MethodData came from a general population sample of 396 children followed from the ages of 3 to 18 years. Parent-ratings of internalizing and externalizing problems at ages 3, 5, 10 and 18 years were used. Parents also reported on the presence of stressful events between the ages of 3 and 5 years, and 5 and 10 years. Adolescent reports on stressful events over the ages of 10–18 years were used. Structural equation models were used to disentangle/analyse the role of stressful events in the development of internalizing and externalizing problems.ResultsFrom the age of 3 years onwards externalizing symptoms predicted experiences of stressful events. In turn, these experiences predicted later externalizing problems. Stressful events also explained part of the continuity of internalizing problems from the age of 10 years onwards, but not during childhood. From childhood onwards, cross-influences from externalizing problems to subsequent internalizing problems were found to run through stressful events. Only in adolescence cross-influences from internalizing problems to externalizing problems were found, again via stressful events.ConclusionsFrom childhood onwards to late adolescence, stressful events play a significant role in both the continuity and the co-occurrence of externalizing and internalizing problems. Theoretical and methodological implications of these findings are discussed.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ana Maria Pereira ◽  
Ana Isabel Pereira ◽  
Teresa Marques

Effortful control is a key aspect of children’s self-regulation showing a remarkable progress in early childhood. This study explored the relationship between effortful control, externalizing and internalizing problems and prosocial behaviour in young children. The sample was composed by 31 Portuguese children, aged between 3 and 6-years-old, and their parents. Effortful control was assessed by behavioural tasks (Tower of Patience, Bead Sorting) and the very short form of the Child Behavior Questionnaire administered to the parents. Internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as prosocial behaviour, were measured through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, answered by the parents. The results show that higher levels of effortful control are related to less externalizing problems and higher levels of prosocial behaviour. No significant associations were found between effortful control and internalizing problems. The mechanisms that may explain the different patterns of associations between effortful control and internalizing and externalizing problems in early childhood are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 561-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Korhonen ◽  
Ilona Luoma ◽  
Raili K. Salmelin ◽  
Mika Helminen ◽  
Riittakerttu Kaltiala-Heino ◽  
...  

Group-based modeling techniques are increasingly used in developmental studies to explore the patterns and co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing problems. Social competence has been found to reciprocally influence internalizing and externalizing problems, but studies on its associations with different patterns of these problems are scarce. Using data from a Finnish longitudinal normal population sample, trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems were formed using the Child Behavior Checklist completed by the mother at the child’s age of 4- to 5-years-old, 8- to 9-years-old, and 16- to 17-years-old ( N = 261). The results indicate that adolescent’s self-reported internalizing and externalizing problems based on the Youth Self Report were associated with the trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems. Social competence both in early childhood and in adolescence was poorer among children with chronic internalizing problems and among those with adolescent-onset externalizing problems. One-third of the children who had a chronically high level of internalizing problems had an initially high but decreasing level of externalizing problems, while 33% of the adolescents with adolescent-onset externalizing problems had a chronically high level of internalizing problems. School psychologists are encouraged to screen for internalizing problems from children with behavioral, academic or social problems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jaime Humberto Moreno Méndez ◽  
José Pedro Espada Sánchez ◽  
Inmaculada Gómez Becerra

The purposes of this study were to perform a psychometric analysis of the Parental Educational Styles Questionnaire and to evaluate its predictive validity on externalizing and internalizing problems in Colombian children. Participants were 680 parents (M= 37.34; SD= 9.2) of children aged between 8 and 12 years enrolled in public schools in Bogota, Colombia. The parental educational styles questionnaire and the child behavior checklist -parents format- were applied to the participants. The resulting model presents the best indicators of favorable fit according to confirmatory factorial analyses. These values show an internal consistence of the instrument. The results indicate that dysfunctional reaction to disobedience, communication difficulties and conflicts predicted internalizing and externalizing problems.


Author(s):  
Jérémie Richard ◽  
Loredana Marchica ◽  
William Ivoska ◽  
Jeffrey Derevensky

Background: Adolescent victims of bullying are more likely to experience a range of mental health problems. Although research has investigated the relationship between bullying victimization and various addictive behaviors, the impact of bullying on problem video gaming (PVG) remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between bullying victimization and PVG as mediated by the presence of internalizing and externalizing problems. Methods: Survey responses were collected from 6353 high-school students aged 12 to 18. Measures include bullying victimization (physical, verbal, cyber and indirect), internalizing (e.g., anxious and depressive symptoms) and externalizing (e.g., aggressive and delinquent problems) problems, and PVG (measured by the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form). Results: Mediation analyses indicated that the relationship between verbal bullying and PVG was completely mediated by the presence of internalizing and externalizing problems. The relationship between physical bullying and PVG was completely mediated by externalizing problems and the relationship between cyberbullying and PVG was completely mediated by internalizing problems. Lastly, the relationship between indirect bullying and PVG was partially mediated by externalizing and internalizing problems. Conclusions: Results suggest that different types of bullying victimization are differentially associated with PVG, with mental health symptoms significantly mediating this relationship.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (4pt2) ◽  
pp. 1487-1504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances L. Wang ◽  
Nancy Eisenberg ◽  
Carlos Valiente ◽  
Tracy L. Spinrad

AbstractWe contribute to the literature on the relations of temperament to externalizing and internalizing problems by considering parental emotional expressivity and child gender as moderators of such relations and examining prediction of pure and co-occurring problem behaviors during early to middle adolescence using bifactor models (which provide unique and continuous factors for pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems). Parents and teachers reported on children's (4.5- to 8-year-olds; N = 214) and early adolescents’ (6 years later; N = 168) effortful control, impulsivity, anger, sadness, and problem behaviors. Parental emotional expressivity was measured observationally and with parents’ self-reports. Early-adolescents’ pure externalizing and co-occurring problems shared childhood and/or early-adolescent risk factors of low effortful control, high impulsivity, and high anger. Lower childhood and early-adolescent impulsivity and higher early-adolescent sadness predicted early-adolescents’ pure internalizing. Childhood positive parental emotional expressivity more consistently related to early-adolescents’ lower pure externalizing compared to co-occurring problems and pure internalizing. Lower effortful control predicted changes in externalizing (pure and co-occurring) over 6 years, but only when parental positive expressivity was low. Higher impulsivity predicted co-occurring problems only for boys. Findings highlight the probable complex developmental pathways to adolescent pure and co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems.


Author(s):  
İldeniz B. Arslan ◽  
Nicole Lucassen ◽  
Pol A. C. van Lier ◽  
Amaranta D. de Haan ◽  
Peter Prinzie

Abstract Purpose A vast amount of studies suggest that internalizing or externalizing problems are related to individual functioning, and often co-occur. Yet, a focus on their additive and interactive effects is scarce. Furthermore, most research has focused on a limited number of developmental domains and mostly on maladaptive functioning. Therefore, the current prospective study examined whether early childhood (ages 4–8) internalizing and externalizing problems and their interaction were related to a broad range of (mal)adaptive functioning outcomes in emerging adulthood (ages 20–24). Methods Data from the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality and Development were used. At Time 1 (1999) mothers of 374 children (45% boys) and fathers of 357 children (46% boys) rated internalizing and externalizing problems through the Child Behavior Checklist. Outcomes in emerging adulthood were measured through self-reports 16 years later across the following domains: psychological functioning, social functioning, work, physical health, and self-concept. Results Early externalizing problems were related to maladaptive outcomes on the psychological and social domains. With regard to adaptive functioning, externalizing problems were associated with lower satisfaction regarding general health on the physical domain. Early internalizing problems were not associated with any emerging adulthood outcomes. The interaction of (father reported) internalizing and externalizing problems was related to aggressive behavior. Conclusion Early childhood externalizing problems were associated with maladaptive and adaptive functioning over a time span of 16 years. The results add to studies on the implementation of prevention and intervention programs in early childhood and to the value for developing personalized interventions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kohei Kishida ◽  
Noriko Hida ◽  
Shin-ichi Ishikawa

Abstract Background The present study examined the effectiveness of the Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2) for internalizing and externalizing problems for children aged 9−11 years. Methods We used two feasibility studies. The Up2-D2 entailed 12 sessions delivered by teachers; each session was developed based on cognitive-behavioral and positive psychological interventions. In Studies 1 and 2, 58 elementary school children aged 9−11 and 73 elementary school children aged 10−11 attended the Up2-D2. The teachers in Study 1 received 1.5 hours of on-site teacher training for learning rationales for interventions, how to run the program, and received ongoing supervision by professionals with mental health expertise. In contrast, the teachers in Study 2 were given self-learning DVD materials in place of on-site training and ongoing supervision. Results Mixed models revealed that general difficulties, which is total score of both internalizing and externalizing problems, decreased in Study 1 but not in Study 2. Additional analyses for children with subclinical general difficulties revealed that general difficulties, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems decreased in Study 1, whereas in Study 2, general difficulties and internalizing problems decreased, except for externalizing problems. Conclusions These results suggest that on-site teacher training and ongoing supervision are imperative for improving general difficulties in children at a universal level. In addition, universal preventive interventions by classroom teachers without on-site training and continuous supervision might be efficacious for reducing general difficulties and internalizing problems for children with subclinical difficulties.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Lansford ◽  
Ann T. Skinner ◽  
Jennifer Godwin ◽  
Lei Chang ◽  
Kirby Deater-Deckard ◽  
...  

Abstract Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents (N = 1,330; Mages = 15 and 16; 50% female), mothers, and fathers from nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, United States) reported on adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems, adolescents completed a lab-based task to assess tendency for risk-taking, and adolescents reported on their well-being. During the pandemic, participants (Mage = 20) reported on changes in their internalizing, externalizing, and substance use compared to before the pandemic. Across countries, adolescents’ internalizing problems pre-pandemic predicted increased internalizing during the pandemic, and poorer well-being pre-pandemic predicted increased externalizing and substance use during the pandemic. Other relations varied across countries, and some were moderated by confidence in the government’s handling of the pandemic, gender, and parents’ education.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document