Behavioral problems and their relationship to maternal depression, marital relationships, social skills and parenting

Abstract Behavioral problems have been associated with multiple variables; however, studies simultaneously investigating parenting practices, marital relationships in bi-parental families, maternal depression, and child behavior remain a gap in the literature. The objective was to verify associations between positive and negative parenting practices, marital relationships, social skills, and behavioral problems among children from bi-parental families with and those without maternal depression; to identify the predictive effect of positive and negative parenting practices, marital relationships, children’s social skills, and maternal depression, for internalizing, externalizing behavior problems and internalizing and externalizing comorbidities. A case-control study with a cross-sectional design was adopted to ensure the groups were homogeneous in regard to the children’s, mothers’, and families’ sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 35 mothers currently with depression and 35 without depression indicators participated in the study, while the children were 25 preschoolers and 23 school-aged children. The mothers responded to instruments addressing depression, child behavior, parenting practices, and marital relationships. The results reveal maternal depression associated with marital relationships, positive parenting, and context variables. Maternal depression and marital relationship were found to influence externalizing problems; maternal depression, child-rearing practices, marital relationships, and the children’s behavioral repertoires influence internalizing and externalizing comorbidities; and none of the independent variables influenced the occurrence of internalizing problems.

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Maternal and paternal trajectories of depressive symptoms predict family risk and children's emotional and behavioral problems after the birth of a sibling

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579418000743 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (04) ◽

pp. 1307-1324 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Brenda L. Volling ◽

Tianyi Yu ◽

Richard Gonzalez ◽

Elizabeth Tengelitsch ◽

Matthew M. Stevenson

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Latent Class ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Family Risk Factors ◽

Paternal Depression ◽

Family Risk ◽

Infant Sibling ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

AbstractThe current study examined trajectories of maternal and paternal depression in the year following the birth of an infant sibling, and relations with family risk factors and firstborn children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Latent class growth analysis was conducted on 231 families in a longitudinal investigation (prebirth and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months postbirth) and revealed four classes of families: both mother and father low in depressive symptoms (40.7%); mother high–father low (25.1%); father high–mother low (24.7%), and both mother and father high (9.5%). Families with both mothers and fathers high on depressive symptoms were higher on marital negativity, parenting stress, and children's internalizing and externalizing problems, and lower on marital positivity and parental efficacy than other classes. Children, parents, and marital relationships were more problematic in families with fathers higher on depressive symptoms than in families in which mothers were higher, indicating the significant role of paternal support for firstborn children undergoing the transition to siblinghood. Maternal and paternal depression covaried with an accumulation of family risks over time, no doubt increasing the likelihood of children's problematic adjustment after the birth of their infant sibling.

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As Time Goes by: Understanding Child and Family Factors Shaping Behavioral Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.687740 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Linda Ewing-Cobbs ◽

Janelle J. Montroy ◽

Amy E. Clark ◽

Richard Holubkov ◽

Charles S. Cox ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Conduct Problems ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Executive Dysfunction ◽

Emotional Symptoms ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Severe Tbi ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

Objective: To model pre-injury child and family factors associated with the trajectory of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems across the first 3 years in children with pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) relative to children with orthopedic injuries (OI). Parent-reported emotional symptoms and conduct problems were expected to have unique and shared predictors. We hypothesized that TBI, female sex, greater pre-injury executive dysfunction, adjustment problems, lower income, and family dysfunction would be associated with less favorable outcomes.Methods: In a prospective longitudinal cohort study, we examined the level of behavior problems at 12 months after injury and rate of change from pre-injury to 12 months and from 12 to 36 months in children ages 4–15 years with mild to severe TBI relative to children with OI. A structural equation model framework incorporated injury characteristics, child demographic variables, as well as pre-injury child reserve and family attributes. Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were indexed using the parent-rated Emotional Symptoms and Conduct Problems scales from the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire.Results: The analysis cohort of 534 children [64% boys, M (SD) 8.8 (4.3) years of age] included 395 with mild to severe TBI and 139 with OI. Behavior ratings were higher after TBI than OI but did not differ by TBI severity. TBI, higher pre-injury executive dysfunction, and lower income predicted the level and trajectory of both Emotional Symptoms and Conduct Problems at 12 months. Female sex and poorer family functioning were vulnerability factors associated with greater increase and change in Emotional Symptoms by 12 months after injury; unique predictors of Conduct Problems included younger age and prior emotional/behavioral problems. Across the long-term follow-up from 12 to 36 months, Emotional Symptoms increased significantly and Conduct Problems stabilized. TBI was not a significant predictor of change during the chronic stage of recovery.Conclusions: After TBI, Emotional Symptoms and Conduct Problem scores were elevated, had different trajectories of change, increased or stayed elevated from 12 to 36 months after TBI, and did not return to pre-injury levels across the 3 year follow-up. These findings highlight the importance of addressing behavioral problems after TBI across an extended time frame.

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The role of HPA-axis function during pregnancy in the intergenerational transmission of maternal adverse childhood experiences to child behavior problems

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419001767 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Jenna C. Thomas-Argyriou ◽

Nicole Letourneau ◽

Deborah Dewey ◽

Tavis S. Campbell ◽

Gerald F. Giesbrecht ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Child Behavior Problems ◽

Internalizing Behavior ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Adverse Childhood ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

Abstract The current study aimed to understand the mediating and/or moderating role of prenatal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function in the association between maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 4. The influence of timing and child sex were also explored. Participants were 248 mother–child dyads enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort study (the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition Study). Maternal ACEs were retrospectively assessed while maternal self-reported depression and diurnal salivary cortisol were assessed prospectively at 6–26 weeks gestation (T1) and 27–37 weeks gestation (T2). Maternal report of child internalizing and externalizing problems was assessed at 4 years (T3). Results revealed that there was a negative indirect association between maternal ACEs and child internalizing behavior via a higher maternal cortisol awakening response (CAR). Maternal diurnal cortisol slope moderated the association between maternal ACEs and child behavior problems. Some of these effects were dependent on child sex, such that higher ACEs and a flatter diurnal slope at T1 was associated with more internalizing behavior in female children and more externalizing behavior in male children. There were timing effects such that the mediating and moderating effects were strongest at T1.

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Low (not High) Trait Anger is a Personal Strength in Adolescents [Baja (no alta) Ira Rasgo es una fortaleza personal en adolescentes]

Acción Psicológica ◽

10.5944/ap.15.2.21748 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 83

Author(s):

Raúl José Alcázar-Olán ◽

Claudia González-Fragoso ◽

David Jiménez-Rodríguez ◽

José Luis Rojas-Solis

Keyword(s):

Social Skills ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Psychological Control ◽

Behavioral Control ◽

Positive Parenting ◽

Self Control ◽

Trait Anger ◽

Positive Outcomes ◽

Negative Parenting ◽

High Trait

Low trait anger, the tendency to stay calm in order to cope with frustrating everyday situations, is associated with mental health and positive outcomes. Its counterpart is high trait anger, defined as intense and chronic irritability, which usually has detrimental effects on the individuals and their relationships. The purpose of this study was to test three hypotheses in adolescents with high (n = 94) and low trait anger (n = 140), with a mean age of 13.06 (SD = 0.77). Hypotheses 1 and 2 addressed the parents’ behavior (parenting practices), and hypothesis 3 assessed social skills, anger and aggression. In particular, compared to adolescents with high trait anger, those with low trait anger: 1) experience less imposition and psychological control (i.e., less negative parenting) from both, mother and father; 2) experience more communication, autonomy, and behavioral control (i.e., more positive parenting) from mother and father; and 3) present more social skills, reflected in lower levels of anger-out, lower aggression toward other individuals, and higher levels of anger self-control. The findings, as a result, supported the three hypotheses. Aggression and social skills did not differ according to gender. However, female participants experienced higher levels of trait anger than did male participants.

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Nonshared experiences within the family: Correlates of behavioral problems in middle childhood

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579400000651 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 113-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

Judy Dunn ◽

Clare Stocker ◽

Robert Plomin

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Maternal Behavior ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Genetic Research ◽

Externalizing Behavior Problems ◽

Internalizing Behavior ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing ◽

Older Siblings

AbstractOne of the most dramatic findings from quantitative genetic research is that environmental influences shared by siblings in a family do not make the siblings similar in terms of psychopathology. Sibling resemblance for psychopathology appears to be genetic rather than environmental in origin; environmental influences that affect the development of psychopathology must be nonshared and make children in the same family different rather than similar. This study sets out to identify environmental factors that differ for young siblings and to assess associations between such nonshared factors and differences in the older siblings' outcome in two domains: internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Maternal interview and observations of differential maternal and sibling behavior were compared within 67 sibling dyads (younger and older siblings aged 4 and 7 years, respectively, on average), and differential experiences were related to the adjustment of the older sibling, as assessed by mother and teacher. Differential maternal behavior appeared to be particularly important as a predictor of adjustment problems. Older siblings showed internalizing problems in families in which mothers were less affectionate to the older than to the younger sibling. Greater maternal control toward the older than the younger sibling predicted both internalizing and externalizing problems. Differential maternal behavior explained 34% of the variance of internalizing behavior and 27% of the variance of externalizing behavior problems, independent of variance explained by family structure variables. Although the sample was unselected for psychopathology and was too small to permit analyses of the diagnosable extremes of internalizing and externalizing dimensions, these results are encouraging in relation to the goal of identifying systematic sources of nonshared environment that affect the development of psychopathology.

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Delineating the maladaptive pathways of child maltreatment: A mediated moderation analysis of the roles of self-perception and social support

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s095457941000009x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 337-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Karen Appleyard ◽

Chongming Yang ◽

Desmond K. Runyan

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Externalizing Behavior Problems ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Self Perception ◽

Mediated Moderation ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

AbstractThe current study investigated concurrent and longitudinal mediated and mediated moderation pathways among maltreatment, self-perception (i.e., loneliness and self-esteem), social support, and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. For both genders, early childhood maltreatment (i.e., ages 0–6) was related directly to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 6, and later maltreatment (i.e., ages 6–8) was directly related to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 8. Results of concurrent mediation and mediated moderation indicated that early maltreatment was significantly related to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 6 indirectly both through age 6 loneliness and self-esteem for boys and through age 6 loneliness for girls. Significant moderation of the pathway from early maltreatment to self-esteem, and for boys, significant mediated moderation to emotional and behavioral problems were found, such that the mediated effect through self-esteem varied across levels of social support, though in an unexpected direction. No significant longitudinal mediation or mediated moderation was found, however, between the age 6 mediators and moderator and internalizing or externalizing problems at age 8. The roles of the hypothesized mediating and moderating mechanisms are discussed, with implications for designing intervention and prevention programs.

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Does Maternal Mental Health and Maternal Stress Affect Preschoolers’ Behavioral Symptoms?

Children ◽

10.3390/children8090816 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 816

Author(s):

María Pía Santelices ◽

Matías Irarrázaval ◽

Pamela Jervis ◽

Cristian Brotfeld ◽

Carla Cisternas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Maternal Depression ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Maternal Stress ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Sem Analysis ◽

Behavioral Symptoms ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Independent Variable ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

(1) Background: Maternal stress and depression are considered risk factors in children’s socioemotional development, also showing high prevalence worldwide. (2) Method: Participants correspond to a longitudinal sample of 6335 mother/child pairs (18–72 months), who were surveyed in 2010 and then in 2012. The hypothesis was tested with SEM analysis, setting the child’s internalized/externalized problems as dependent variable, maternal depression as independent variable, and stress as a partial mediator. (3) Results: Both depression during pregnancy and recent depression has not only a direct effect on the internalizing and externalizing symptomatology of the child, but also an indirect effect through parental stress. Significant direct and indirect relationships were found. (4) Conclusions: Maternal depression and the presence of parental stress can influence children’s behavioral problems, both internalizing and externalizing.

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The Longitudinal Influence of Caregiver Dispositional Mindful Attention on Mindful Parenting, Parenting Practices, and Youth Psychopathology

10.31234/osf.io/cjye3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Justin Parent ◽

Chelsea Dale ◽

Laura McKee ◽

Alexandra D.W. Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Externalizing Symptoms ◽

Youth Mental Health ◽

Mindful Parenting ◽

Dispositional Mindfulness ◽

Negative Parenting ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms

Although much research examining youth psychopathology from an ecological family systems theoretical framework has highlighted negative or pathological parental characteristics, it is important to identify and explore positive parent characteristics, such as mindfulness, that may impact youth mental health. Dispositional mindfulness has been related, in cross-sectional research, to higher levels of mindful parenting, which impacts positive and negative parenting and, in turn, offspring internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The current study expands this work by examining associations among these variables in a short-term longitudinal model and by testing potential moderators (i.e., parent and youth gender and youth developmental stage). A sample of 564 parents (60% mothers) of children between the ages of 3 and 17 reported on their mindfulness, mindful parenting, positive and negative parenting practices, and their youth’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms at 4 time points over a 12 month period. The structural equation model indicated that higher levels of baseline parent disposition mindfulness were related to higher levels of mindful parenting at 4 months. Higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with higher levels of positive parenting and lower levels of negative parenting practices at 8 months. Finally, lower levels of negative parenting practices were related to lower levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms at 12 months. Moderator analyses suggested that all prospective associations in the model were equivalent for mothers and fathers, boys and girls, and children and adolescents. Findings shed light on the importance of parent mindfulness as it relates to parenting behaviors and youth mental health.

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Educational Practices and Child Behaviors: Mothers’ and Teachers’ Evaluation

Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa ◽

10.1590/0102.3772e372114 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

Author(s):

Alessandra Turini Bolsoni-Silva ◽

Sonia Regina Loureiro

Keyword(s):

Social Skills ◽

Problem Behaviors ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Home School ◽

Educational Practices ◽

Child Behaviors ◽

Limit Setting ◽

At Home

Abstract The objective of this study was to describe and compare mothers’ and teachers’ reports concerning their educational social skills and negative practices and children’s behavioral problems and social skills. The mothers and teachers of 81 children participated in this study. The children were assigned to four groups depending on whether they presented problems exclusively at home, school, in both, or none of these contexts. Valid instruments measured educational practices and child behavior. The results show that: (a) mothers and teachers agreed that children with problems in both contexts presented the highest level of impairment; (b) the mothers more frequently reported skills such as affection, adopted negative practices, and identified problem behaviors; (c) the teachers reported more skills such as limit setting. The conclusion is that teachers’ and mothers’ practices differ, and such information can guide preventive programs and interventions.

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Maternal depression symptoms, child behavior problems, and their transactional relations: Probing the role of formal childcare

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419000956 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 831-844

Author(s):

Chantal Paquin ◽

Natalie Castellanos-Ryan ◽

Frank Vitaro ◽

Sylvana M. Côté ◽

Richard E. Tremblay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Maternal Depression ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Externalizing Problems ◽

Child Behavior Problems ◽

Population Based ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing Problems ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing ◽

Formal Childcare

AbstractAmong children exposed to elevated maternal depression symptoms (MDS), recent studies have demonstrated reduced internalizing and externalizing problems for those who have attended formal childcare (i.e., center-based, family-based childcare). However, these studies did not consider whether childcare attendance is associated with benefits for the child only or also with reduced MDS. Using a four-wave longitudinal cross-lagged model, we evaluated whether formal childcare attendance was associated with MDS or child behavior problems and whether it moderated longitudinal associations between MDS and child behavior problems and between child behavior problems and MDS. The sample was drawn from a population-based cohort study and consisted of 908 biologically related mother–child dyads, followed from 5 months to 5 years. Attending formal childcare was not associated with MDS or child behavior problems but moderated the association between MDS at 3.5 years and child internalizing and externalizing problems at 5 years as well as between girls’ externalizing problems at 3.5 years and MDS at 5 years. No other moderation of formal childcare was found. Findings suggest that attending formal childcare reduces the risks of behavior problems in the context of MDS but also the risk of MDS in the context of girls’ externalizing problems.

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