Deficits in executive function have been associated with internalizing problems in children. Yet little is known about the mechanisms that may explain this association. Using longitudinal data across elementary school years (N ϭ 1,364), this study examined the role of peer difficulty and poor academic performance in understanding longitudinal associations between executive function and internalizing problems. Executive function was measured in first grade with observed tasks and standardized tests. Peer difficulty and academic performance were reported by teachers and/or mothers at three waves. Internalizing problems were reported by mothers at four waves. Using structural equation modeling, results demonstrated that peer difficulty and poor academic performance independently mediated longitudinal relations between executive function and internalizing problems. Findings highlighted the importance of children's functioning in key identity domains in understanding the adverse impact of inferior executive function on internalizing problems in school-age children.

Children of mothers with high depressive symptoms are at heightened risks for maladjustment in grade school. Yet, the process through which maternal depressive symptoms pose risks for child adjustment is not well understood. This study examined the mediating role of maternal involvement in education in the longitudinal associations between maternal depressive symptoms and children's school adjustment. Three waves of data spanning from first to fifth grades were used (N = 1,364). Depressive symptoms, maternal involvement in education, and children's internalizing and externalizing problems were reported by mothers. Teachers reported children's academic performance. Results showed that maternal depressive symptoms were negatively associated with their subsequent involvement in education. Low maternal involvement in education mediated longitudinal relations of maternal depressive symptoms to poor academic performance and internalizing problems, but not externalizing problems, in children. Results further demonstrated that the role of maternal involvement in education was independent of parental sensitivity. Findings highlighted the unique role of low maternal involvement in education in understanding the risks that maternal depressive symptoms pose on children's adjustment in grade school.