Parental Chronic Illness, Internalizing Problems in Young Adulthood and the Mediating Role of Adolescent Attachment to Parents: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Parental chronic illness is associated with an elevated risk for developing social-emotional and behavioral problems in children, in particular internalizing symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the associations between parental chronic illness when participants were adolescents and subsequent internalizing symptoms in young adulthood and whether adolescent attachment to parents or peers mediates these associations.Methods: The study used longitudinal survey data from the Youth and Mental Health Study, a cohort study including a representative sample of youth in central Norway assessed in the period from 1999 to 2000 (mean age 14.9 years) and in 2012 (mean age 27.2 years) (N = 1,266). The data consist of youth self-reports at both time points. Parental chronic illness was reported by the adolescents, quality of attachment was measured using the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), and internalizing problems were assessed in young adulthood by using the Adult Self-Report (ASR). Data were analyzed using parallel mediation analyses, controlling for adolescent sex, parental socioeconomic status, and divorce. In addition, separate analyses were conducted for adolescent girls and boys.Results: The total longitudinal effect was significant for both maternal and paternal chronic illness on internalizing problems in young adulthood. The direct effect on internalizing problems was only significant for maternal chronic illness. Attachment to fathers partially mediated the relationship between maternal chronic illness in adolescence and internalizing symptoms in young adulthood, whereas attachment to both mothers and fathers fully mediated the relationship between paternal chronic illness in adolescence and internalizing symptoms in young adulthood. A separate analysis for girls and boys indicated that the results were only significant for girls. Parental chronic illness did not play a significant indirect effect via attachment to peers on internalizing problems.Conclusions: Identifying protective factors in the pathways between parental chronic illness and mental distress in children could guide measures that promote the well-being of the child and family. The study demonstrates the importance of targeting the entire family in chronic illness care.

Acceptability and outcomes of transdiagnostic guided self-help bibliotherapy for internalizing disorder symptoms in adults: Results of a fully remote nationwide open trial

Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM) is a transdiagnostic five-module guided self-help (GSH) intervention developed by the World Health Organization. %The original DWM included group guidance in-person. %It appeared efficacious in pilot trials and a cluster randomized-controlled trial. In a sample of individuals recruited from across the United States, we studied the feasibility and acceptability of an adaptation of DWM in which guidance was provided individually and remotely. We assessed internalizing symptoms, psychological well-being, work and social functioning, usability of the intervention, and emotion regulation over the course of six weeks. A total of 344 individuals started our baseline screening, and 215 completed it. Of those screened, 74% (n=159) qualified for the intervention. We reached most participants who qualified (67%, n=107) via phone to schedule a GSH session. Most of those scheduled attended a study session (84%, n=90), and most of those who attended a session completed more than half the treatment (83%, n = 75). Retention rates were comparable to meta-analytic estimates of dropout rates in GSH-CBT. Participants showed improvement on the K6, WHO5, WSAS, and ERQ subscales. Baseline acceptability on the SUS was high but did not improve over time. DWM is a freely available, seemingly efficacious transdiagnostic intervention for internalizing disorder symptoms.

Active And Avoidant Coping Profiles In Children And Their Relationship With Anxiety And Depression During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

Active and avoidant coping styles are important dispositional factors for the development of anxiety and depression symptoms. Children use both active and avoidant coping together in daily life. No studies have investigated the relationship between active-avoidant coping profiles and internalizing symptoms of children in the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate children’s active-avoidant coping profiles and assess the relationship of active-avoidant coping profiles to anxiety and depression symptoms in the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 322 Chinese children in mainland China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist – Revised1 in Time 1 and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in Time 1 and 6 months later (Time 2). Four active-avoidant coping profiles were revealed: Low Active copers, High Active copers, Balanced copers, and Avoidant copers. Low and High Active copers were related to lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than Balanced copers and Avoidant copers. Avoidant copers showed less decrease in depression symptoms than Balanced copers and High Active copers. It is important to improve children's active-avoidant coping profiles for relieving anxiety and depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and Pathways to Depression and Aggression: The Mediating Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence and Decision-Making Style—A Pilot Study

While the link between sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) and internalizing symptoms has been well-established, a link to externalizing problems is still to be explored. This study aimed to further examine the relation between SPS and behavioral problems by testing the potential mediating roles of trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and decision-making styles. Pathway analyses were conducted on data from 268 community sample participants (Mage = 25.81, SD = 2.41, 61.2% females). Results indicated gender differences in the pathway level outcomes of SPS, as well as potential partial mediators in men and women. SPS both directly and via the mediating effects of the well-being factor (TEI) and avoidant decision-making influenced depression, regardless of gender. Direct effects on aggression were, however, obtained only in the male sample. Indirect effects of SPS on aggression were found in spontaneous decision-making for men and in the self-control and sociability factors of TEI for women. Directions for future research were discussed.

Reward sensitivity and internalizing symptoms during the transition to puberty: An examination of 9-and 10-year-olds in the ABCD Study

Early pubertal timing has been linked to increased risk for internalizing disorders. Work in older adolescents and adults suggests that heightened reward sensitivity may buffer risk for internalizing symptoms, but few studies have investigated these associations during the early transition to puberty, a window of vulnerability to mental health risk. In this preregistered study, we investigated the associations among pubertal timing, internalizing symptoms, and reward sensitivity in 11,243 9-10 year-olds from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study®. Using split-half analysis, we tested hypothesized effects across two subsets of the sample (Sample 1 N=5,631 ; Sample 2 N=5,612). Across samples, early pubertal timing was associated with higher internalizing symptoms in females and males, with highest symptoms evident in mid-pubertal adolescents. Additionally, early pubertal timing was robustly associated with greater self-reported reward sensitivity in both females and males. We observed preliminary evidence of a moderating role of self-reported and neural reward sensitivity in the association between early pubertal timing and internalizing symptoms, but several of these effects differed by sex, and no moderation effects replicated across samples. Together, these findings provide novel insights into early indicators of risk for internalizing disorders during the transition to puberty.

Social support as a moderator of the relationship between victimization and internalizing symptoms in LGTBIQ+ people

The present study analyses the moderating effect of different types of social support in the relationship between bullying, cyberbullying and workplace victimization, and internalizing symptoms in LGBTIQ+ individuals. 262 people from LGBTIQ+ collective participated (ages between 18 and 77; M= 29.83, SD= 12.41), who completed measures via Internet of bullying, cyberbullying, workplace victimization, family support, support from friends, support from a special person, and symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. The results showed that support from friends moderated the relationship between bullying and anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as the relationship between workplace victimization and depression symptoms. On the other hand, family support moderated the relationship between bullying and anxiety symptoms. Regarding cyberbullying, none of the types of social support moderated the relationship between cyberbullying and internalizing symptomatology. Findings of this study highlight the moderating role of family and friend support when internalizing symptoms of LGBTIQ+ people who are victims of bullying and/or workplace victimization.

The mediating role of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidality among adolescents: a structural equation model

Background The objective of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect effects of childhood trauma, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms on suicidality among adolescents, thereby establishing a structural equation model. Methods The present study uses a cross-sectional descriptive design. Among 147 adolescents aged 12–17, 93 outpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 54 controls were included in the study. They completed the Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report (Short Form) and Columbia Suicidality Severity Rating Scale. Their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Analyses were performed using Pearson’s correlation and structural equation modelling. Results Childhood trauma had both direct and indirect effects, via internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms, on suicidality. Internalizing symptoms had a direct effect on suicidality. Meanwhile, externalizing symptoms were not directly associated with suicidality, but indirectly associated via internalizing symptoms. Conclusions Findings provide in-depth understanding of the mediating role of internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms in the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidality, suggesting that the therapeutic interventions for both internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms may be important to prevent suicide in adolescents with childhood trauma.