Impairment and Distress Judgments of Symptoms Composing Childhood Externalizing and Internalizing Syndromes

Abstract

The pattern of perceived dysfunction associated with symptoms composing the externalizing childhood disorder syndrome was compared to the pattern characterizing the internalizing syndrome. In Study 1, undergraduate students (N = 205) judged the social impairment, academic/ occupational impairment and personal distress associated with symptoms from the child and adolescent psychopathology scale (Lahey et al. 2004) related to externalizing and internalizing syndromes. As predicted, symptoms composing the externalizing syndrome were judged as involving less personal distress and more impairment than those composing the internalizing syndrome. Converging findings emerged in Study 2 when undergraduates (N = 183) judged DSM-IV symptoms composing externalizing and internalizing disorders. This research reveals systematic differences in perceptions of impairment and distress related to the symptoms that compose the externalizing and internalizing syndromes.

Self-esteem and other risk factors for depressive symptoms among adolescents in United Arab Emirates

“…This finding is in agreement with other studies [58,59]. This finding could be attributed to postpubertal period as the advancing pubertal stage carried higher risks for depressive symptoms in females [20] associated with an enhanced social understanding, and increased stress levels [60]. A different style between boys and girls with regard to preferentially Internalizing or Externalizing behaviors as a way to react to emotional distress might also offer a putative explanation for our finding [61].…”