Trajectories of internalizing problems during the transition to adolescence in children with and without conduct problems

Abstract

Children with conduct problems are at greater risk for internalizing problems. The objectives of this study were to (1) examine trajectories of internalizing problems among children with and without clinically significant conduct problems during the transition to adolescence; and (2) identify how academic achievement, peer rejection, parent socioeconomic status, maternal distress, parental warmth, child temperament, and receptive verbal functioning explained differences between the two groups. Children with conduct problems ( N = 388, 45% girls) and a comparison sample without conduct problems ( N = 299, 52% girls) were recruited from Quebec, Canada, when they were between the ages of 7 and 10 years, and were followed across 4 years. Mothers and teachers provided information on internalizing problems each year. Having clinically significant conduct problems was associated with higher initial levels of internalizing problems according to mothers and teachers, but not with changes in internalizing problems over time. With regards to teacher ratings, academic achievement, peer rejection, and negative emotionality partially explained differences in internalizing problems for youth with and without conduct problems. For mother ratings, maternal distress, negative emotionality, and peer rejection completely explained the association for girls, and partially explained the association for boys. Findings supported a multi-rater approach for understanding risk for internalizing problems among children with and without conduct problems. In particular, they highlight the importance of differences across context for understanding factors associated with vulnerability to internalizing problems.

The longitudinal association between externalizing and internalizing problems: An exploration of the dual failure model.

“…Weeks et al (2016) found that the path between externalizing problems to later depressive symptoms was stronger for girls. Contrarily, in Martin-Storey and colleagues (2018), the path from CP to later internalizing problems was significant for boys but not for girls, according to parent ratings. Finally, Yong and colleagues (2014) found that the path from academic difficulties to later internalizing problems was significant for boys but not for girls.…”

“…For girls, neither the social nor the academic failure pathways were found to mediate between CP and depressive symptoms. In Martin-Storey and colleagues (2018), teacher reports showed a significant association between CP and concurrent levels of internalizing problems via lower academic achievement and higher peer rejection, whereas parental reports only showed an indirect association via peer rejection. Using teacher ratings in a community sample, van Lier and colleagues (2012) showed that for boys and girls, externalizing problems at age 6 were linked to internalizing problems at age 8 through poor academic achievement at age 7.…”

“…To our knowledge, seven studies have tested simultaneously both indirect pathways proposed in the Dual Failure Model, with four studies at least partly supporting the model. In these studies, most of the direct paths were in the expected directions (e.g., higher externalizing linked to lower academic performance, higher peer victimization and higher internalizing; Martin-Storey et al, 2018;van Lier et al, 2012), except in Klostermann and colleagues (2016), who found that CP among boys in sixth grade were linked to lower victimization in seventh grade. These authors explored the developmental links between self-reports of CP and depressive symptoms in a community sample.…”

Parental Marital Conflict and Growth in Adolescents’ Externalizing Problems: the Role of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia

“…Latent growth curve model (LGCM) was used in the present study to explore the trajectory of externalizing problems. This method allows for the identification of levels of externalizing problems, changes in externalizing problems over time and how marital conflict and RSA activity interact to predict the trajectory of externalizing problems (Martinstorey et al 2018;Singer and Willett 2003).…”

The strengths and difficulties questionnaire self-report: sensitivity and specificity testing to identify conduct problems in Indonesian adolescents

“…Typical features in conduct problems are hatred and causing problems to others (Ogden and Hagen, 2019), engaging in behaviors that violate other's rights such as fighting, intimidating, stealing (Rivenbark et al, 2017) and against social rules such as running away from home and truancy (Wiguna et al, 2016). As a result, adolescents with conduct problems are more vulnerable to problems with family, school and friends (Martin-Storey et al, 2017). Furthermore, they have less motivation to learn, declining academic performance and difficulty to concentrate (Kumara et al, 2017).…”