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Purpose/Objective: To investigate the occurrence of behavioral problems 7 years after severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), and their evolution from 3 months to 7 years postinjury. Method/Design: Thirty-four participants, 38% girls, M (SD) age at injury 7.6 (4.7) years, age at assessment 15 (4.6) years, underwent comprehensive assessments 7 years after severe TBI from March 2014 to March 2016 and were matched to a control group by age, gender, and parental education. A subgroup of 20 participants had available behavioral assessments at 3, 12, and 24 months postinjury. Internalizing, externalizing, and total behavioral problems were assessed with self- and parent reports of the Achenbach's Behavioral Checklist. Additional data included sociodemographic background, initial injury severity, and specific outcomes assessed concurrently 7 years postinjury. Results: Compared to controls: (a) a significant proportion of participants with severe TBI fell above the clinical cutoff for self- (42%) and parent-reported (36%) externalizing problems, but not for self- (33%) or parent-reported (45%) internalizing problems; (b) withdrawn/depressed, intrusive behavior, and somatic complaints were significantly higher in self-reports; and (c) rule-breaking behavior, attention, and social problems were significantly higher in parent reports. Parent-reported internalizing problems were associated with older age at injury, whereas externalizing problems correlated with greater injury severity and concurrent levels of greater overall disability, lower intellectual ability, and poorer family functioning. In multiple hierarchical regression analyses, overall disability and worse family functioning significantly predicted externalizing problems. Parent-reported internalizing and externalizing problems persisted over time. Conclusions/Implications: These results highlight the importance of long-term follow-up and individualized behavioral interventions for children who sustained severe TBI. Impact and Implications: Approximately half of the parents of children who sustained severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) report clinically significant internalizing and externalizing behavior problems 7-year postinjury, indicating long-term persistence of behavioral issues with significant consequences on participation and overall academic achievement. Concordance between parent- and self-reports assessing internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems is high, suggesting that patients who sustained severe childhood TBI and their parents might perceive and deal more frequently with symptoms related to more overtly noticeable behaviors, such as externalizing symptoms, but might also be particularly aware of symptoms pertaining to withdrawnness, depression, and somatic complaints in the long-term. These internalizing symptoms should not be neglected and appropriate support should be considered, even in the absence of externalized behaviors. Persistence of internalizing and externalizing problems 7 years after severe TBI underlines the importance of follow-up interventions aimed at behavioral adjustment. During follow-up, it is important to organize and implement serial assessments of neuropsychological and general functioning, educational attainment, and school issues, as well as mood and behavior, in order to detect and quantify disorders, and to implement timely, individualized, patient- and family-centered targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When undocumented immigrant parents are deported from the United States, they must decide whether or not to take their U.S.-born and undocumented immigrant children with them, often to countries the children have never visited or know little about. Other parents do not wait to be deported by the government and decide to relocate to their home countries with or without their children. Both sets of families experience relocation but under different circumstances. These differences deserve exploration to understand the psychological and emotional effects on children's well-being. In this cross-sectional study, we explored differences in self-concept, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, as well as the perception of the home, school, and neighborhood contexts of 178 U.S. citizen children (USCC) whose parents returned to Mexico forcibly and voluntarily. Through snowball sampling, we recruited the sample from two bordering Mexican states, Michoacán and the State of Mexico. Significant estimated marginal mean differences in internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, unhappiness, as well as parent–child conflict and support were found between USCC who relocated due to a parental deportation and those USCC whose parents relocated to Mexico voluntarily. Implications for clinicians in Mexico and the United States include recognizing the reasons, timing, decisions, events, and contexts of relocation. Findings can help inform immigration policies, practices, and future research. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Immigration enforcement should contemplate the impact on U.S. Citizen Children (USCC). Parental deportation proceedings should consider USCC's mental health, Spanish language proficiency, Mexican cultural affinity, years of residency in the United States, and support networks in the parent's country of origin when making determinations in removal hearings. In addition, deportation proceedings should allow transitional time to help the family relocate in a more planned way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining gender differences in perseverative cognition (repetitive, negative, and difficult-to-control thoughts) has focused on depressive rumination and internalizing syndromes. This study examines the transdiagnostic role of depressive rumination, anger rumination, and repetitive negative thinking across gender on internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Utilizing an ethnoracially diverse sample (33% Black, 35% Latinx, 32% White non-Hispanic) of n = 1,187 young adults (49.5% women), we found equivalent instrument functioning across gender for depressive rumination (specifically brooding), anger rumination, and internalizing problems. Differential item functioning was found for repetitive negative thinking and externalizing problems; partial metric and scalar invariance were established for repetitive negative thinking, and partial metric invariance was established for externalizing problems. After accounting for bias in measurement, women engaged in more perseverative cognition, though effects were small for brooding and anger rumination and large for repetitive negative thinking. Different types of perseverations were positively associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms across gender. Perseverative cognition may be a transdiagnostic mechanism beyond internalizing problems. Public Significance Statement: This study demonstrated that women engage in more perseverative cognition (repetitive, negative, and difficult-to-control thoughts); however, this thinking process is related to various mental health problems in both women and men. Thus, targeting perseverative cognition in psychological treatment may be important to ameliorate a host of mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the dyadic longitudinal interplay among parents' psychological distress, family cohesion, children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors, and peer-related social competence within individual and dyadic relationships. Data came from a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study of children in South Korea. The analyses included 1,779 families across three annual timepoints. Children were 4 years old (48.6% girls) and the mean ages of mothers and fathers were 34.8 and 37.3 years, respectively, at baseline. At each assessment point, mothers completed questionnaires regarding their psychological distress, cohesion, and their child's internalizing/externalizing behaviors, while fathers provided information on their psychological distress and family cohesion. Preschool teachers also evaluated children's peer social competence at each measurement timepoint. The results revealed bidirectional associations between maternal ratings of psychological distress and children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors as well as between maternal ratings of cohesion and children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors. Paternal ratings of psychological distress were longitudinally related to maternal ratings of children's internalizing behaviors. Teacher ratings of children's peer social competence were associated with maternal ratings of internalizing/externalizing behaviors and paternal ratings of psychological distress and cohesion. Teacher ratings of peer social competence and maternal ratings of internalizing and externalizing behaviors were reciprocally associated. Maternal and paternal ratings of psychological distress and cohesion were prospectively and bidirectionally associated. The findings demonstrate prospective transactions among family subsystems, some of which were moderated by child sex, while highlighting the importance of obtaining data on each family member and considering interactive effects of both parent and child sex in this line of inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has examined the impact of prenatal illicit drug use (PDU) on children's problem behaviors. However, many PDU-related risk factors, including genetic and rearing environmental risks, can also influence offspring's problem behaviors, thus confounding PDU, genetic, and rearing environmental influences. This study aimed to (a) identify effects of PDU on school-aged children's problem behaviors, including both externalizing and internalizing behaviors at Age 7, after controlling genetic and specific rearing environmental (e.g., maternal and paternal hostility at Ages 4.5 and 6) influences and (b) examine interaction effects between PDU and maternal and paternal hostility in predicting children's problem behaviors at Age 7. We used a parent–offspring adoption design to partition genetic and prenatal effects from postnatal rearing environmental influences. Participants were 561 children adopted at birth (42% female; 56% White, 19% multiracial, 13% Black/African American, 11% Latine, and 1% other), their adoptive parents, and their birth parents. Results indicate that PDU did not show a direct impact on Age 7 problem behaviors before or after controlling genetic risks and adoptive mother's and father's hostility. However, we found significant interactions between adoptive father's hostility and PDU when predicting children's problem behaviors, such that higher paternal hostility was associated with higher externalizing and internalizing behaviors for children whose birth mothers were non-use or rare use of illicit drugs during pregnancy. The results suggest that different from non- or rare drug-exposed children, higher levels of PDU may override the effects of paternal hostility, but not maternal hostility, on problem behaviors at Age 7. Public Significance Statement: The results suggest that school-aged children with prenatal drug exposure raised in genetically unrelated adoptive families may not be different from unexposed children with respect to problem behaviors at Age 7. However, children with non- or rare-drug exposure were more sensitive to the effect of paternal hostility on problem behaviors at Age 7, compared to children who had higher levels of prenatal drug exposure. Moreover, the findings indicate that maternal hostility may have pervasive impacts on children's problem behaviors, regardless of children's predisposition (e.g., exposure to prenatal illicit drugs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the peripartum, putative mechanisms in the transmission of prenatal contextual risk and maternal psychological distress include biological and social processes. In this study, path analyses were used to test unique, cascading pathways of prenatal contextual risk and pre- and postnatal maternal psychological distress through social mediators (parenting) and biological mediators (infant stress physiology) on infant temperament and toddler adjustment. The sample is comprised of racially and ethnically diverse first-time mothers (N = 200) living in low-income contexts (<200% poverty) who were followed from pregnancy to 18–36 months postpartum. In pregnancy, mothers reported contextual risk and psychological distress (anxiety, depression). In the postpartum, mothers reported their psychological distress. At 2–4 months postpartum, observed mother–infant interactions were coded for sensitive responsiveness. Infant cortisol baseline and reactivity to a lab stressor were collected when infants were 4–6 months old. Mothers reported on infant's temperament (negative affect, effortful control) at 10–12 months and on child adjustment (internalizing, externalizing symptoms) at 18–36 months. Prenatal contextual risk predicted infant cortisol reactivity. Prenatal psychological distress predicted postnatal distress but, when accounting for postnatal distress, did not predict putative mediators or indicators of child adjustment. In contrast, maternal postnatal depression predicted subsequent maternal sensitive responsiveness, which in turn predicted later infant baseline cortisol and cortisol reactivity. Baseline cortisol predicted infant negative affectivity, which predicted toddler internalizing and externalizing symptoms. There was no evidence of mediated effects of prenatal variables on child adjustment outcomes, whereas contextual risk, postnatal psychological distress, and parenting were more salient predictors of child adjustment. Public Significance Statement: Children growing up in low-income contexts are more likely to have adjustment problems compared with advantaged peers. The mechanisms of this are not well-understood. This study tests potential contributors to children's adjustment outcomes from pregnancy to toddlerhood, finding that for families living in the context of low income, contextual risk factors, a mother's mental health after giving birth, a child's stress physiology, and parenting behaviors all contribute to children's adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous studies examining differences in the experience of disorders and symptoms of psychopathology in adolescents across racial or ethnic groups and sex. Though there is substantial research exploring potential factors that may influence these differences, few studies have considered the potential contribution of measurement properties to these differences. Therefore, this study examined whether there are differences across racial or ethnic groups and sex in the measurement of psychopathology, assessed in mother-reported behavior of 9–11 year old youth from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study sample using updated Child Behavior Checklist scales (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Tests of measurement invariance of the CBCL utilized the higher order factor structure identified by Michelini et al. (2019) using this same Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development cohort. The dimensions include internalizing, somatoform, detachment, externalizing, and neurodevelopmental problems. The configural model had a good-to-excellent fit on all subscales of the CBCL across racial or ethnic groups and sex. The metric and scalar models fit just as well as the configural models, indicating that the scales are measuring the same constructs across racial or ethnic groups and sex and are not influenced by measurement properties of items on the CBCL, although some high-severity response options were not endorsed for youth in all racial or ethnic groups. These findings support the use of the CBCL in research examining psychopathology in racially or ethnically diverse samples of youth. Public Significance Statement: The Child Behavior Checklist is a widely used measure of youth psychopathology; thus, it is necessary to examine if the measure functions the same across different groups of people. The present study provides support for measurement invariance of the Child Behavior Checklist across sex and racial or ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triarchic model posits that distinct trait constructs of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition underlie psychopathy. The triarchic model traits are conceptualized as biobehavioral dimensions that can be assessed using different sets of indicators from alternative measurement modalities; as such, the triarchic model would hypothesize that these traits are not confined to any one item set. The present study tested whether the triarchic model dimensions would emerge from a hierarchical-structural analysis of the facet scales of the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment (EPA), an inventory designed to comprehensively index psychopathy according to the five-factor personality model. Study participants (Ns = 811, 170) completed the EPA and three different scale sets assessing the triarchic traits along with criterion measures of antisocial/externalizing behaviors. Bass-ackwards modeling of the EPA facet scales revealed a four-level structure, with factors at the third level appearing similar to the triarchic trait dimensions. An analysis in which scores for the Level-3 EPA factors were regressed onto corresponding latent-trait dimensions defined using the different triarchic scale sets revealed extremely high convergence (βs =.84–.91). The Level-3 EPA factors also evidenced validity in relation to relevant criteria, approximating and sometimes exceeding that evident for the Level-4 EPA factors. Together, these results indicate that the triarchic trait constructs are embedded in a psychopathy inventory designed to align with a general personality model and effectively predict pertinent external criteria. Public Significance Statement: The present work tested the hypothesis that the triarchic model constructs would be present in alternative questionnaire inventories (in this case, the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment [EPA]), revealed by a specific type of analysis called "bass-ackwards modeling." Furthermore, the three triarchic model factors showed equivalent or sometimes increased external validity compared to extracting the four traditional factors from the EPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the degree to which three selection factors (parent personality, depression, and coparent support) drive movement into neighborhoods and predict changes in youth externalizing behavior. Two studies followed children from birth to age 15 (N = 1,364 for Study 1; N = 4,898 for Study 2). Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, family income, and youth externalizing behavior were consistently and significantly correlated cross sectionally and longitudinally. Selection factors predicted changes in youth externalizing behavior. Higher family income, mother agreeableness, and perceived support from a coparent predicted movement over time into less disadvantaged neighborhoods. Lower levels of mother impulsivity, neuroticism, and depression also predicted movement over time into less disadvantaged neighborhoods. Neighborhood disadvantage did not predict change in youth externalizing behavior when any of the above selection factors were included in the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated whether distinct developmental patterns of externalizing behaviors (EBs: hyperactivity–impulsivity, noncompliance, physical aggression) based on parent reports were repeatedly and differentially associated with separate dimensions of internalizing problems such as general anxiety, separation anxiety, and depressive symptoms across the early, middle, and late preschool years in a population birth cohort (N = 2,057, 50.7% boys). Six high trajectory classes obtained by latent growth modeling were used as longitudinal indicators of single EB and co-occurrent EBs. Children following low or moderate trajectories for all EBs served as the reference class. Results revealed that children in trajectory classes reflecting high levels of co-occurring EBs showed higher levels of general anxiety, separation anxiety, and depressive symptoms across the preschool years. In contrast, children in trajectory classes reflecting single EB manifested higher levels of some, but not all, dimensions of internalizing problems. In addition, their scores varied from one period to another. No sex differences were observed in the above associations. These results underline the need for comprehensive assessments across distinct types of EBs and internalizing problems to better reflect the characteristics that distinguish individual children. Finally, results suggest that children showing early co-occurrent EBs and internalizing symptoms may be an important group to target for in-depth assessment and possibly preventive intervention. Public Significance Statement: Children who show a high level of externalizing behaviors (EB: hyperactivity–impulsivity, noncompliance, or physical aggression) from the early to late preschool years—and especially preschoolers with high levels of multiple EBs—also present higher levels of anxiety, separation anxiety, and depressive symptoms. These findings are consistent with a developmental approach to psychopathology and emphasize the importance of early preventive evaluation and potential intervention with these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by developmental models examining the legacy of childhood caregiving environments, we examined the longitudinal pattern of associations between harsh parenting and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms across late childhood to late adolescence. Participants included 199 youth (48.7% female, 65.3% White, 32.2% Black, 2.5% biracial) and their mothers and fathers from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The study utilized a multi-informant, longitudinal design including five waves of data (youths' mean ages were 9, 10, 11, 17, and 18 across waves). Harsh parenting at Age 9 predicted higher levels of (a) externalizing symptoms at Ages 11, 17, and 18 and (b) internalizing symptoms at Ages 17 and 18. Developmental sensitivity analyses revealed that the magnitude of the more distal association between early harsh parenting and later internalizing and externalizing symptoms was statistically stronger as compared to more proximal associations. Bidirectional analyses revealed that externalizing symptoms at Age 9 predicted harsh parenting at Ages 9, 10, 11, 17, and 18. Whereas links between harsh parenting and internalizing symptoms were consistent with a sleeper effects model, links between harsh parenting and externalizing symptoms provided some support for both enduring and sleeper effects models. Findings inform an understanding of youth developmental sensitivity to harsh parenting and the downstream consequences of harsh parenting. Results have important translational implications, including testing the long-term efficacy of therapeutic programs. Public Significance Statement: This study examined the downstream consequences of harsh parenting in late childhood on youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms from late childhood to late adolescence. Harsh parenting at Age 9 predicted externalizing symptoms across late childhood and late adolescence (i.e., Ages 11, 17, and 18) and internalizing symptoms in late adolescence (i.e., Ages 17 and 18). Findings suggest that the effect of harsh parenting significantly strengthened in magnitude across late childhood to late adolescence. Findings underscore the value in testing the long-term effects of parenting interventions on adolescent behavioral and psychological difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preregistered, longitudinal study examined how much adolescents value and integrate their parents' and peers' attitudes into their own attitudes from early to middle adolescence. Across three waves, participants (N = 172, 91 female, 11–16 years across three waves; 439 data points) decided whether to pay money to learn their parents' or peers' attitudes about externalizing behaviors. Multivariate growth models revealed that adolescents were consistently willing to pay money over time to learn their parents' and peers' attitudes. The value of learning peers'—but not parents'—attitudes predicted changes in personal attitudes during adolescence, and this did not change across age. Moreover, the effect of others' attitude value on social influence weakened from early to middle adolescence, such that early adolescents who highly valued learning the attitudes of others (i.e., paid more) tended to shift their own attitudes more toward those endorsing positive influence, regardless of the source. In contrast, early adolescents who valued learning others' attitudes less were less susceptible to positive social influence. Importantly, this effect went away in middle adolescence. Although adolescents are highly motivated to learn their parents' and peers' attitudes about externalizing behaviors, how much those attitudes inform their personal attitudes depends on the source of input and the age of adolescents. Public Significance Statement: This study underscores the crucial role of adolescents' motivation to learn the opinions of others in shaping their decision making and attitudes. However, the influence of these opinions depends on the source of input (parent vs. peers) and the age of adolescents (early to middle adolescence). These findings highlight positive role models as a potential avenue to foster healthy attitudes and behaviors, particularly during the impressionable early adolescent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boundary dissolution has broadly been defined as the breakdown of boundaries and loss of psychological distinctiveness in the parent–child subsystem. Qualitative reviews have highlighted the developmental and clinical value of examining boundary dissolution as a multidimensional construct. Though prior work suggests patterns share minimal variance, research has yet to quantitatively synthesize the weighted effect of distinct patterns. The primary aim of this meta-analysis was to aggregate empirical research on associations between boundary dissolution patterns and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Four patterns of boundary dissolution were identified across developmental, clinical, and family systems literatures: (a) enmeshment—entanglement and blurring of the intergenerational parent–child boundary through psychologically controlling and intrusive behaviors, (b) disorganization—chaotic parent–child boundary (e.g., inexplicable, contradictory behaviors, and responses) reflecting no coherent pattern of relating, (c) caregiving—child functions as a caregiver providing parents with instrumental and emotional support and guidance, and (d) coerciveness—child operates as a disciplinarian or authoritarian to intimidate and control parents. The meta-analysis reviewed 478 studies. Although each boundary dissolution pattern was associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, weighted effects across patterns significantly varied in magnitude. Regarding externalizing symptoms, the weighted effect of enmeshment was stronger relative to the weighted effect of caregiving. Turning to internalizing symptoms, the weighted effect of enmeshment was stronger than the weighted effect of caregiving and coerciveness. Additionally, the weighted effect of disorganization was stronger than the weighted effect of caregiving. The robustness of weighted effects depended on child, contextual, and methodological characteristics as well as time lag. Public Significance Statement: The identification of (a) boundary dissolution patterns that were more strongly associated with children's adjustment than other boundary dissolution patterns and (b) children and families for whom associations between boundary dissolution and adjustment were strongest highlights the importance of developing intervention and prevention priorities to target those most at risk. Moreover, the magnitude of associations between boundary dissolution patterns and children's adjustment was stable across time, underscoring the value of testing the long-term efficacy of intervention and prevention programs. Finally, variations in the robustness of the weighted effect across methodological procedures will help advance the development and refinement of methodological instruments to assess boundary dissolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-described "involuntary celibates" (incels) have become more visible in recent years, in part due to high-profile acts of mass violence committed by self-professed incels. Recent academic scholarship and journalism have suggested that the self-described incels may pose a threat not only to others, but to themselves, as well. What is unique about incels among other groups of individuals described as violent extremists is the way that the ideology of inceldom—the "black pill"—provides different narratives that lead adherents to behave differently. This article employs a cluster analysis of self-described incels residing in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania (Cluster 1, n = 50; Cluster 2, n = 97; Cluster 3, n = 113) to examine inceldom in accordance with the 3N theory of radicalization. Incels can be characterized as having an amplified need for significance. By engaging online with incel forums, they find a network that validates their feelings and introduces them to an overarching ideology. The ideology provides a worldview that allows them to move from self-blame for their failures with women into anger and violence turned inward or outward. Incels respond to this ideology by aligning along three differing narratives that define the appropriate means for gaining significance: An externalizing narrative that promotes violence as a means of fighting back against a society they believe has condemned them to celibacy and loneliness, an internalizing narrative that promotes suicide as the only useful means of gaining control over the painfulness of rejection, and a hopeful narrative that focuses on the possibility of moving out of inceldom. Public Significance Statement: This study finds that self-described "incels" should not be broadly labeled as violent extremists and can be classified according to whether or not they believe their situation is permanent, the extent of their suicidal ideation, and the extent of their violent ideation. This finding suggests individuals who are experiencing intense depressive symptoms and are not receiving support would be potentially receptive targets for early interventions that are sensitive to this community's grievances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on child sexual abuse (CSA) have mostly focused on female survivors. However, men are not spared from this type of abuse, as one in 10 men report having experienced CSA before the age of 18. Some adult male victims of CSA, in trying to cope with their history of sexual abuse, overinvest in typically masculine behaviors, such as aggression and rule breaking, which are considered externalizing behaviors. This study aimed to (a) describe the range of externalizing behaviors in adult men who have experienced CSA and (b) explore the functions underlying these behaviors from the perspective of male survivors. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 26 Canadian male survivors, aged between 31 and 66, who were recruited via CSA community services. A qualitative-directed content analysis was performed, guided by Achenbach and Rescorla's taxonomy of externalizing behaviors. Three main categories of externalizing behaviors emerged from respondents' narratives: (a) aggressive behaviors to express anger and protect integrity; (b) rule-breaking behaviors to protest against an injustice; (c) alcohol and drug use to avoid suffering triggered by CSA. These findings highlight the diversity of behaviors in which male survivors report engaging in response to CSA. Even if they may express their suffering in an explosive way, it is important to support male victims appropriately while recognizing the functions underlying their externalizing behaviors. Approaches to supporting survivors' recovery should address their feelings of anger and sense of injustice, the use of avoidance-based coping mechanisms, and masculine norms. Public Significance Statement: Men who have experienced child sexual abuse may externalize their suffering through various behaviors that may be perceived as problematic, including aggressive behaviors, transgressive behaviors, and substance abuse. It is important to offer appropriate support to male survivors, even if their distress might be expressed in ways that are not typically associated with victimhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was designed to examine associations among parents' familism values, adolescents' cultural resources, and externalizing behavior among Latinx youth in the Midwestern United States. Method: Participants were 267 Latinx adolescents (M age = 15.58 years; SD = 1.28 years; 45% girls; 82.8% Mexican American) and their mothers/mother figures who completed individually administered interviews comprised of standardized measures. Structural equation modeling was used to test several alternative mediational models in which youth ethnic identity and familism values served as potential cultural mechanisms linking parents' familism values to lower levels of youth externalizing behavior. Results: Results showed that mothers' familism values were positively associated with youth ethnic identity which was positively associated with youth familism values; in turn, youth familism values were inversely associated with externalizing behavior. The findings did not differ by youth gender or nativity (U.S.-born vs. foreign-born youth). Conclusions: These findings provide support for cultural resilience perspectives by highlighting the protective role of ethnic identity and familism values among U.S. Latinx adolescents. Public Significance Statement: U.S. Latinx youth are at increased risk of developing externalizing behaviors such as aggression and substance use. Our study showed that mothers' familism values, youth ethnic identity, and youth familism values were linked, either directly or indirectly, to less externalizing behavior among U.S. Latinx youth, suggesting that these cultural resources are protective. Interventions that enhance these resources may help prevent or reduce externalizing behavior among U.S. Latinx adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental differential treatment (PDT) of siblings is associated with differences in children's behavioral adjustment. The current meta-analysis examined the extent to which associations between relative PDT and sibling differences in behavior problems differ by type of parenting behavior (i.e., differential hostility vs. differential warmth) and type of behavior problems (i.e., differential externalizing vs. internalizing behavior problems). In September 2021, we systematically searched APA PsycInfo and Web of Science, yielding 2,259 unique hits with 19 eligible publications reporting on 215 effect sizes from 13 unique samples. The overall association between relative PDT (i.e., receiving less warmth and more hostility than one's sibling) and sibling differences in behavior problems was small but significant. Associations were stronger for differential hostility compared to differential warmth and for differential externalizing compared to differential internalizing behavior problems. Particularly marked was the finding that siblings who received more hostility from their parents showed higher levels of externalizing behavior problems. Future research investing in further dismantling the association between within-family PDT and sibling differences in adjustment is warranted to better understand why parents treat siblings differentially and to guide family support initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting that is high in rejection and low in acceptance is associated with higher levels of internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) problems in children and adolescents. These symptoms develop and can increase in severity to negatively impact adolescents' social, academic, and emotional functioning. However, there are two major gaps in the extant literature: (a) nearly all prior research has focused on between-person differences in acceptance/rejection at the expense of examining intraindividual variability (IIV) across time in acceptance/rejection; and (b) no prior studies examine IIV in acceptance/rejection in diverse international samples. The present study utilized six waves of data with 1,199 adolescents' families living in nine countries from the Parenting Across Cultures study to test the hypotheses that (1) higher amounts of youth IIV in mother acceptance/rejection predict higher internalizing and (2) externalizing symptoms, and (3) that higher youth IIV in father acceptance/rejection predict higher internalizing, and (4) externalizing symptoms. Meta-analytic techniques indicated a significant, positive effect of IIV in child-reported mother and father acceptance/rejection on adolescent externalizing symptoms, and a significant positive effect of IIV in father acceptance/rejection on internalizing symptoms. The weighted effect for mother acceptance/rejection on internalizing symptoms was not statistically significant. Additionally, there was significant heterogeneity in all meta-analytic estimates. More variability over time in experiences of parental acceptance/rejection predicts internalizing and externalizing symptoms as children transition into adolescence, and this effect is present across multiple diverse samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperament and externalizing problems are closely linked, but research on how they codevelop across adolescence remains sparse and equivocal. Reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) provides a useful framework for understanding temperament and externalizing problems associations. During adolescence, oppositional problems are posited to be linked to an overactive behavioral approach system (BAS) while conduct problems are linked to an underactive behavioral inhibition system (BIS). However, this research mostly uses adult samples and cross-sectional designs and tests only between-person associations. Moreover, most studies typically test only one direction of effects (i.e., temperament predicts externalizing problems) and do not consider alternative models of associations, such as reciprocal associations. To address these limitations, we use three annual waves of a longitudinal, community-based sample of 387 early adolescents (mean Wave 1 age = 11.61 years, 55% female, 83% non-Hispanic White) to test reciprocal associations between BIS and BAS and oppositional and conduct problems. Latent curve models with structured residuals are used to test hypotheses and disaggregate between- and within-person associations. Evidence supports within-person reciprocal associations between BAS and oppositional problems and between BIS and combined conduct and oppositional problems. Results potentially inform developmental theories of temperament and externalizing problems linkages and interventions with adolescents who are engaging in oppositional problems and more severe conduct problems. Public Significance Statement: This study found that early adolescents who were more sensitive to positive feedback (reward) were more likely to report aggressive behaviors, adolescents who were less sensitive to negative feedback (punishment) were more likely to report aggressive and rule-breaking behavior, and vice versa (e.g., more rule breaking and aggression leads to less sensitivity to negative feedback). These findings might help parents, therapists, and schools better manage problem behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined task-based (i.e., executive function), surveyed (i.e., effortful control), and physiological (i.e., resting cardiac respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) measures of child and maternal regulation as distinct moderators of longitudinal bidirectional links between child externalizing (EXT) behaviors and harsh parenting (HP) from 6 to 9 years. The sample size was 299 (50.9% female; 1% Asian, 4% multiple races; 14% Black; 78% White), and participants were recruited in the United States (a rural college town in Virginia and a midsized city in North Carolina). Higher child EXT at 6 years predicted higher HP at 7–8 years, which predicted higher EXT at 9 years. Also, this path was moderated by 6-year child effortful control, 6-year resting RSA, and 9-year executive function. In contrast, there was no moderating effect of any measure of maternal regulation. Findings suggest it is important to consider child self-regulation when examining bidirectionality in parent and child effects for HP and child EXT. Public Significance Statement: The present study adds impetus for utilizing a variety of measures and indicators of children's and their parents' regulation capacities when addressing child risk for behavioral problems. Distinct effects are found depending on the indicator of regulation. This has implications for prevention and intervention efforts in the family setting, to improve child regulation skills and reduce behavioral problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence suggests that psychological distress during pregnancy is linked to offspring risk for externalizing outcomes (e.g., reactive/aggressive behaviors, hyperactivity, and impulsivity). Effect sizes across studies have varied widely, however, due to differences in study design and methodology, including control for the confounding continuation of distress in the postnatal period. Clarifying these inconsistencies is necessary to guide the precision of prevention efforts and inform public health policies. A meta-analysis was conducted with 55 longitudinal studies to investigate the association between prenatal psychological distress (anxiety, depression, and perceived stress) and offspring externalizing behaviors. Results revealed a significant but small effect (r =.160) of prenatal distress on externalizing behaviors. The magnitude of the prenatal effect size remained largely unchanged after adjusting for postnatal distress (r =.159), implicating a unique effect of psychological distress during the prenatal period in the etiology of externalizing behaviors. Moderation tests showed that prenatal effects did not vary based on type and timing of psychological distress during pregnancy. Greater instability of distress from prenatal to postnatal periods predicted larger effects. Prenatal effects were comparable across most externalizing outcomes, consistent with the common comorbidity of externalizing spectrum disorders, although effects appeared smaller for nonaggressive rule-breaking (vs. aggressive) behaviors. Significant associations persisted across all developmental periods, appearing slightly larger in early childhood. We discuss these results in the context of developmental and psychobiological theories of externalizing behavior, offer preliminary clinical and public health implications, and highlight directions for future research including the need for longitudinal studies with more racially and socioeconomically diverse families. Public Significance Statement: This meta-analysis suggests that psychological distress during the pregnancy period uniquely increases children's risk for aggressive, disinhibited, and impulsive behaviors. Effects are relatively small but persist across developmental periods from early childhood through adolescence. Providing widely accessible mental health care and support during pregnancy may be a critical step to early prevention of childhood behavior problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study examined the effects of therapeutic alliance (TA; relational bond, task collaboration) on externalizing behavior outcomes, how TA can operate differently when children are seen in individual versus group sessions, and how therapist–child disagreement in perceptions of TA affects outcomes. Method: Three hundred sixty children (Ages 9.2–11.8; 65% male; 78.1% Black) identified as having high rates of aggressive behavior by the fourth-grade teachers, and their 20 elementary schools were randomized to group versus individual delivery of the cognitive behavioral intervention, Coping Power. TA ratings were collected from children and therapists at mid and end of intervention using the Therapeutic Alliance Scale for Children. Teacher ratings of children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems were collected prior to intervention and at 1-year follow-up after intervention using the Behavior Assessment System for Children. Results: Children receiving the intervention individually reported significantly higher trait-like levels of task collaboration than did children seen in groups. Independent of intervention format, higher trait-like levels of therapist-rated bond and task collaboration predicted reduced levels of externalizing problems, and higher trait-like levels of child- and therapist-rated task-collaboration and therapist-rated bond predicted reduced levels of internalizing problems. Differences between therapist and child reports of bond predicted weaker reductions in internalizing behavior for children seen in groups. Conclusions: It is essential to train therapists to develop and assess for TA by midintervention with children with aggressive behavior problems, especially if they are seen in small groups, and to determine if therapists may misperceive the strength of TA. What is the public health significance of this article?: Therapeutic alliance affects outcomes for children with aggressive behavior and findings add to the strength of the evidence-base for cognitive behavioral intervention. Therapeutic alliance is stronger in individual delivery of intervention to these children. Group-based delivery likely requires intensive training to assist therapists to establish strong task collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immense responsibility inherent in parenthood makes feeling guilty highly prevalent among parents. Such feelings are natural, yet excessive guilt is related to depression and anxiety and could burden parents. Qualitative research suggested that guilt is predominant in parents whose children suffer from behavioral and emotional difficulties, making it necessary to quantify guilt and examine possible resilience factors that could alleviate the aversive aspects of it. In this study, we examined the association between children's externalizing and internalizing problems and different aspects of parental guilt, assessing whether parental reflective functioning (PRF) would moderate these associations. One hundred six parents of children aged 1.30–9.30 years were recruited from child daycare centers and community clinics. The Parent Development Interview was administered to measure PRF. Based on this interview, we created a new coding system, to quantify three aspects of parental guilt: intensity, reparation, and internal reaction to guilt. Children's difficulties as well as parents' depression and anxiety were assessed using validated self-report measures. We showed that children's difficulties were related to parental guilt, but only when levels of PRF were not high. Specifically, internalizing problems were related to greater intensity and negative internal reaction to guilt only when PRF was low or moderate, and externalizing problems were related to greater intensity of guilt only when PRF levels were low. These findings suggest that encouraging reflective functioning could reduce the burden of guilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research over many decades has considered the crucial role of maternal psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety) for children's psychological adjustment (externalizing and internalizing problems), suggesting bidirectional influences over time. However, little is known about the extent to which household chaos (e.g., noise, disorganization, lack of calm) may mediate this mutual association, despite an understanding that chaos is a powerful stressor in the home. Conducting secondary data analysis in a large scale, prospective longitudinal study of families with children—the U.K.'s Millennium Cohort Study—we accounted for stability in both maternal psychological distress and children's internalizing and externalizing problems and examined the extent to which household chaos mediated the mutual association between maternal psychological distress and children's behaviors. Using what we term a mutual-mediation model, we found that both maternal psychological distress and children's adjustment problems predicted household chaos at Age 5, and in turn, that chaos predicted maternal psychological distress and child adjustment problems at Age 7. We found a dominance of children's externalizing problems in the prediction of household chaos, and all pathways were strongest for maternal psychological distress and externalizing problems compared to child internalizing problems. Our findings suggest that research would be well-minded to consider both child and parent effects on household chaos, as well as its mediation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organization of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model provides unique opportunities to evaluate whether neural risk measures operate as indicators of broader latent liabilities (e.g., externalizing proneness) or narrower expressions (e.g., antisociality and alcohol abuse). Following this approach, the current study recruited a sample of 182 participants (54% female) who completed measures of externalizing psychopathology (also internalizing) and associated traits. Participants also completed three tasks (Flanker-No Threat, Flanker-Threat, and Go/No-Go tasks) with event-related potential (ERP) measurement. Three variants of two research domain criteria (RDoC)-based neurophysiological indicators—P3 and error-related negativity (ERN)—were extracted from these tasks and used to model two latent ERP factors. Scores on these two ERP factors independently predicted externalizing factor scores when accounting for their covariance with sex—suggesting distinct neural processes contributing to the broad externalizing factor. No predictive relation with the broad internalizing factor was found for either ERP factor. Analyses at the finer-grained level revealed no unique predictive relations of either ERP factor with any specific externalizing symptom variable when accounting for the broad externalizing factor, indicating that ERN and P3 index general liability for problems in this spectrum. Overall, this study provides new insights about neural processes in externalizing psychopathology at broader and narrower levels of the HiTOP hierarchy. General Scientific Summary: The Hierarchical Taxonomy Model of Psychopathology argues that some etiological factors might operate at broader levels of the psychopathological spectrum, conferring general risk for clinical problems. Our results show that error-related negativity (ERN) and P3 responses are indicators of distinct neural processes and that both account for externalizing proneness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest has increased in the recent literature on characterizing psychopathology dimensionally in hierarchical models. One dimension of psychopathology that has received considerable attention is externalizing. Although extensively studied and well-characterized in late adolescents and adults, delineation of the externalizing spectrum in youth has lagged behind. As a complement to structural analyses of externalizing, in this study, we use quantitative genetic analyses of twin data to adjudicate among alternative models of youth externalizing that differ in granularity. Specifically, we compared model fit, estimates of genetic and environmental influences on the externalizing dimension, and the average, variability, and precision of genetic and environmental influences on individual symptoms due to the externalizing dimension, specific symptom dimensions, and unique etiological influences. Given that none of these criteria are definitive on their own, we looked to the confluence of these criteria to exclude particular models while highlighting others as leading contenders. We analyzed parent-report data on 38 externalizing symptoms from a population-representative, ethnically diverse sample of 883 youth twin pairs (51% female), who were on average 8.5 years old. Although models including an externalizing composite and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder diagnoses and symptom dimensions showed similar heritability to latent variable models of externalizing, models that included latent dimensions of externalizing and more fine-grained symptom dimensions fit better and were more balanced in the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on individual symptoms due to the externalizing dimension and specific symptom dimensions. Pending replication, these more granular and elaborated model(s) can be useful for advancing research on causes and outcomes of youth externalizing and its fine-grained specific components. General Scientific Summary: This study used data on 883 twin pairs to adjudicate among alternative models of youth externalizing psychopathology. We found that models containing more fine-grained symptom factors (e.g., inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, irritability/negative affect, defiant behavior, aggression, and rule breaking) better captured the patterns of genetic and environmental influences on externalizing symptoms than models containing coarser attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder symptom factors. Our results show the advantages of more granular and elaborated models for understanding the classification and causes of youth externalizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical discipline increases children's risk of showing externalizing problems, whereas inductive discipline is negatively associated with children's risk of externalizing problems. Studies of parenting infrequently examine both positive and negative discipline techniques despite use of inductive and physical discipline being inversely related to each other and to child externalizing problems. A burgeoning literature on the biopsychosocial determinants of parenting is identifying cognitive and physiological mechanisms underlying the initiation and regulation of positive and negative parenting techniques. This cross-sectional study of parents of preschool-aged children (N = 70; 89% mothers, 43% racial–ethnic minorities) advances the parenting literature by examining predictors of parents' inductive and physical discipline use across their cognitive functioning, cardiovascular psychophysiology, children's externalizing behavior, and their interactions with one another. No main effects or interactions predicted inductive discipline, but the interaction between parents' inhibitory control and nonverbal intelligence predicted physical discipline, such that parents who scored low in both domains endorsed the most use of physical discipline in response to child misbehavior. Another interaction between parents' sympathetic activity and child externalizing behavior also predicted physical discipline. These findings are discussed in relation to parenting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using models of risk and resilience as a guide, this study examined the mediating role of constructive conflict behaviors on the associations between maternal depressive symptoms, intimate partner violence (IPV), and child behavior problems. The nature of the mediation pathways was also examined for two groups of families, one experiencing high and another experiencing low levels of partner social support. Participants included 196 mothers and their preschool-aged children from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Guyana. Constructive conflict behaviors partially mediated the link between maternal depressive symptoms and children's externalizing behaviors. Maternal depressive symptoms and physical intimate partner violence were directly related to children's internalizing behaviors. Constructive conflict behaviors were not a mediator of the association between risk factors and children's behavioral outcomes for families experiencing high or low levels of partner social support. In the context of families experiencing high partner social support, constructive conflict behaviors appeared to be more effective in reducing children's externalizing problem behaviors. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Determining links between risk and protective factors and children's socioemotional functioning can be instrumental in the development of intervention and prevention programs and counseling services for parents and children in low-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of anxiety and trauma with antisocial behavior in children and adolescents has long been the focus of research, and more recently this area of research has become critical to theories of the development of callous–unemotional (CU) traits. Research suggests those with elevated CU traits and anxiety (i.e., secondary CU variant) seem to show more severe externalizing behaviors and are more likely to show histories of trauma, compared to those with elevated CU and low anxiety (i.e., primary CU variant). These findings have typically been interpreted as being indicative of distinct etiological pathways to the development of CU traits. We test an alternative explanation that the higher rates of anxiety and trauma exposure in some youth with elevated CU traits are largely a consequence of their higher levels of antisocial behavior. The current study recruited a sample of 1,216 justice-involved adolescents (Mage = 15.28, SD = 1.28) from three distinct regions of the United States, who were assessed at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 months following their first arrest. Using random-intercept cross-lagged models, both antisocial behavior and CU traits predicted changes in future anxiety and CU traits predicted increases in future victimization. Further, using longitudinal parallel mediation models, antisocial and aggressive behavior largely accounted for the predictive association between CU traits and anxiety and CU traits and victimization. These results support a model in which anxiety and trauma histories may be a marker of the severity of antisocial behavior displayed by youth with elevated CU traits. General Scientific Summary: Findings suggest that antisocial behavior predicts increases in anxiety and victimization over time, potentially as a result of the many social impairments and retaliation caused by such behavior. Further, our results suggest that callous–unemotional traits lead to increases in anxiety and victimization over time, largely as a consequence of antisocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pretrauma internalizing and externalizing behaviors have been found to predict posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSS) in children following injury. However, child in-hospital self-report of pretrauma symptoms may be impacted by their injury and associated medical care (e.g., sedation/pain medications). Parental report of child pretrauma risk factors may be easier to capture; however, mothers and fathers differ in the extent to which they report, and agree on, internalizing versus externalizing behaviors in their child. The present study examined the differential utility of maternal versus paternal ratings of child preinjury internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors in predicting child PTSS 3- and 6-months postinjury. Eighty-four children were recruited from an emergency department after emergency medical services transport following injury, along with their parent(s). Dyadic (one parent and a child) analyses revealed that maternal reports of internalizing behaviors were significantly associated with child PTSS 3 months, F(5, 64) = 9.48, p <.001; ß =.44, p =.01, and 6 months, F(5, 48) = 5.57, p <.001; ß =.42, p =.03, postinjury. Paternal reports were not associated with child PTSS at either time point. In a subsample of triads (mother–father–child), mothers' and fathers' reports were only moderately correlated (rs =.30–.53), and neither maternal nor paternal ratings individually predicted child PTSS when both parents' reports were included in the model. Exploratory analyses revealed that family conflict and maternal initial PTSS moderated the relationship between maternal ratings of internalizing behaviors and child 3-month PTSS. Results suggest that maternal reports of child preinjury internalizing behaviors should be considered as predictors of later child PTSS development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether interparental physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) have additive effects on child threat appraisals and internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and whether relations between psychological IPV and child difficulties differ when physical IPV has occurred, as compared to when it has not occurred. Participants were 531 children (51% male) aged 7–10 years and their mothers. Children reported on IPV, and on their threat appraisals; children and mothers both reported on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Families participated in three assessments spaced 6 months apart. Results indicated that physical and psychological IPV had additive effects on child threat appraisals and child reports of disruptive behavior problems, but not on other measures of child internalizing or externalizing symptoms. Results of moderator analyses indicated that relations between psychological IPV and mothers' reports of child internalizing symptoms, and between psychological IPV and child reports of disruptive behavior problems were stronger when physical IPV had occurred. Notably, psychological IPV was also associated with child threat appraisals, anxiety symptoms, and disruptive behavior problems even in the absence of physical IPV. The findings suggest that in child and family research and service settings, when aspects of the interparental relationship are relevant, the risks posed by psychological IPV should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers are often encouraged to praise children to reduce externalizing behavior. Although several theoretical perspectives suggest that praise works (e.g., praise reinforces positive behavior), others suggest it may not (e.g., children dismiss praise or experience it as controlling). This longitudinal-observational study examined whether (a) caregivers' praise and children's externalizing behavior were related; (b) an evidence-based parenting program increased caregivers' praise; (c) and increasing praise reduced children's externalizing behavior. Participants (387 caregiver-child dyads) were randomly assigned to a 14-session parenting program (aiming to improve parenting behavior, partly via praise) or a control group. Children (aged 4-8 years, 45% girls) scored at or above the 75th percentile on externalizing behavior problems. Caregivers (91% Caucasian, 85% born in the Netherlands, 50.5% highly educated) were mostly mothers (91%). At baseline, postintervention, and follow-up, we assessed caregivers' labeled and unlabeled praise via in-home observations, and children's externalizing behavior via care-giver-reports and observations. At baseline, caregivers' unlabeled praise was related to more (rather than less) externalizing behavior. The parenting program successfully increased praise and reduced care-giver-reported (but not observed) externalizing behavior; importantly, however, praise did not mediate the program's effect on caregiver-reported externalizing behavior. Although the program did not directly reduce observed externalizing behavior, it did so indirectly via labeled praise. Our results suggest that, although praise and externalizing child behavior are related, praise may not be a key mechanism underlying the effects of the parenting program. If praise has beneficial effects on children's externalizing behavior, these effects are probably limited to labeled praise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have indicated that prosocial behavior might be a protective factor for developing internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. However. little research has been conducted on within-person changes of prosocial behavior and behavioral problems over time. With random-intercept cross-tagged panel models (RI-CLPMs), the current study analyzed Iongitudinal associations between prosocial behavior and behavioral problems in two twin cohorts (98% Western European): in early childhood Cage M = 4.77, SD = .58, 52% girls, N = 440) and middle childhood (age M = 7.94, SD = .67, 51% girls, N = 512). To obtain robust results, two parental reported questionnaires and an observational task were used as prosocial behavior assessments. In line with the literature, we found a significant between-person association between externalizing behavior and parent reported prosocial behavior in middle childhood, but not in early childhood. Some evidence indicated that changes in externalizing problems affect later prosocial behavior in middle childhood. Overall, however, the RI-CLPMs provided most support for the hypothesis that within-person changes in prosocial behavior are not related to within-person changes in behavioral problems. Thus, our findings did not support the hypothesis that increased prosocial behavior directly results in decreased behavioral problems, but emphasizes the need to take into account the multifaceted nature of prosocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Early childhood is an important developmental period to focus on the outcomes associated with ethnic-racial identity (ERI) given that children notice racial differences, are processing information about ethnicity and race, and have race-related experiences. The present study tested whether three components of ERI (i.e., positive attitudes, negative attitudes, and centrality) predicted children's social functioning (i.e., interactive, disruptive, and disconnected play with peers; externalizing behaviors; and observed frustration and cooperation with an adult). Child sex was also tested as a moderator. Method: The present study included 182 5-year-old Mexican-origin children (57% male) of mothers who entered parenthood during adolescence (M = 21.95, SD = 1.00). Results: Children's positive ethnic-racial attitudes were associated with greater social functioning (i.e., greater interactive play and less externalizing behaviors) among boys and girls, and less frustration among boys. Negative ethnic-racial attitudes predicted maladaptive social functioning (i.e., greater disruptive play) among boys and girls and more disconnected play among girls. Contrary to expectations, ethnic-racial centrality predicted boys' and girls' maladaptive social functioning (i.e., greater disruptive and disconnected play). Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of fostering children's positive ethnic-racial attitudes and helping them discuss and cope with negative ethnic-racial attitudes to promote more adaptive social functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of stress related to their children's symptoms and comorbid behavior problems. Adaptive parental coping in response to child-related stressors is proposed to serve a buffering function, and yet, little research has examined whether coping actually moderates associations between child factors and parent outcomes in this population. The few studies to do so have focused on parent well-being as the primary outcome and have not considered the degree to which child-related stressors may affect parenting and contribute to maladaptive transactional parent–child processes over time. The present study tested whether adaptive parental coping was associated with reduced associations between higher levels of child ASD symptoms and comorbid externalizing problems and poorer quality parent reactions to child negative emotions in 63 families of children with ASD. Parents reported on their children's externalizing problems, their own coping behavior, and their reactions to their children's negative emotions, and child ASD symptoms were measured through direct testing. Adaptive coping—primarily active planning—moderated the association between children's behavior problems and supportive parent reactions such that parents of children with more externalizing problems reported less supportive reactions, but only when adaptive coping was low. Child ASD symptoms did not significantly relate to parent reactions, and coping did not moderate these associations. This cross-sectional study is the first to identify parental coping as a potential protective factor for parenting behavior in families of children with ASD and comorbid behavior problems. Implications for future longitudinal research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronfenbrenner's framework highlights the importance of considering ecological systems to understand child well-being. Children entering foster care often experience disruption across systems. Yet, prior research has focused on specific disruptions linked to outcomes. This longitudinal study examined the impact of multiple ecological disruptions (i.e., changes in or separation from siblings, friends, school, church, community) on children's internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors over time. This study included 211 children between the ages of 6 and 13 years (M = 10.23, SD = 2.37; 55.0% female; 57.3% African American). Children entered foster care for up to four reasons: Neglect (73.9%), physical abuse (29.4%), dependency (10%), and/or sexual abuse (9.5%). Most of the children experienced a change in school (64.0%), 46.9% were separated from siblings, 25.1% lost friends, 12.8% experienced community disruptions, and 10.0% were separated from church. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was employed to examine the association between ecological disruptions and longitudinal internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors, while controlling for baseline internalizing and externalizing, demographic variables (i.e., child age, gender, and race), and maltreatment severity. Maltreatment severity, along with school and community disruptions related to the presence of internalizing symptoms. Loss of friends was associated with the absence of externalizing behaviors, while community disruption was associated with the presence of externalizing behaviors. This study suggests that maintaining children's connections to their school and community is important for well-being. Under certain circumstances, separation from friends may relate to improved behavioral functioning. Future research should explore additional and interacting facets of children's ecological systems and related outcomes. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Children entering foster care often experience disruption across multiple aspects of their lives. This study suggests that maintaining children's connections to their school and community is important for well-being. Under certain circumstances, separation from friends may relate to improved behavioral functioning; still, friends play an important role in children's lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent marijuana use has become increasingly more problematic compared with the past; thus, Linderstanding developmenta] processes that increase the liability of marijuana use is essential. Two developmenta] pathways to adolescent substance use have been proposed: an externalizing pathway that emphasizes the expression of aggressive and delinquent behavior, and an internalizing pathway that emphasizes the role of depressive symptoms and negative affect. In this study, we aimed to examine the synergistic role of impulsiveness and sensation seeking in the two risk pathways to determine whether both high and low levels of the traits are risk factors for marijuana use. Our study included 343 adolescents (52% were girls, 78% identified as Hispanic) that oversampled high-risk youth (78% had a family history of substance use disorder), assessed biannually between the ages of 13-16 years old. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that high levels of sensation seeking indirectly predicted marijuana use through higher mean levels of externalizing behavior. The positive relationship between sensation seeking and externalizing behavior was only significant at high levels of impulsiveness. Conversely, low levels of sensation seeking indirectly predicted marijuana use through higher mean levels of internalizing behavior. The negative relationship between sensation seeking and internalizing behavior was only significant at low levels of impulsiveness. Collectively, these results demonstrate that high and low levels of both impulsiveness and sensation seeking confer increased risk of marijuana use, albeit through different mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study tested the protective role of youth's school-age extracurricular involvement and multiple informants' reports of adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems in a sample of youth from low-income households. Method: Participating youth (n = 635, 49% female, 49% White, 28% Black/African American, 14% biracial, 8% other race, 13% Hispanic/Latinx) were drawn from the Early Steps Multisite Study. At ages 7.5, 8.5, and 9.5, primary caregivers reported the number of extracurricular activities for which youth participated (Parent Aftercare Survey). At ages 14 and 16, measures of internalizing and externalizing problems were collected from primary and alternate caregivers (Child Behavior Checklist) and target youth (Child Depression Inventory—Short Form, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, and Self-Report of Delinquency). At age 16, target youth also contributed measures of risky sexual behaviors and substance use (Youth Risk Behavior Survey). Teachers contributed measures of youth's internalizing and externalizing problems at age 14 (Teacher Report Form). Results: After accounting for the effects of multiple sociodemographic factors, initial levels of child problem behavior, and intervention group status, structural equation models revealed that school-age extracurricular involvement was inversely associated with latent factors representing adolescent externalizing, but not internalizing, problems at ages 14 (β = −.13, p <.01) and 16 (β = −.12, p =.02). Conclusions: The present study suggests that low-income, school-age children's involvement in extracurricular activities serves a protective function in relation to adolescent externalizing problems. Future studies should assess underlying mechanisms and expand the scope of adolescent outcomes to include prosocial functioning. What is the public health significance of this article?: This study suggests that extracurricular involvement in the school-age years protects youth from low-income households from developing behavior problems in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth who struggle to maintain positive peer relationships are more likely to display emotional and behavioral problems, particularly during adolescence. Alternative avenues of social support may buffer against these maladaptive outcomes, particularly sibling relations, as they oftentimes predict adolescent outcomes above and beyond that of parents and peers. The present study examined the role of objective sibling warmth on the longitudinal association between social problems and maladjustment in a sample of 45 adolescent sibling dyads, further testing how effects varied between younger (Mage = 12.1; 24 females) and older (Mage = 14.5; 21 females) siblings. Sibling interactions were observed during cooperative and stressful problem-solving tasks, and later coded for expressions of warmth directed from one sibling to the other. Adolescent social problems and internalizing and externalizing behaviors were collected by multi-informant report and at a 1-year follow-up. Multilevel analyses indicated that adolescents with older siblings who exhibited more warmth were buffered against the effect of social problems on externalizing behaviors, with marginal effects for internalizing symptoms. Younger sibling warmth did not serve as a buffer for older sibling maladjustment. These findings emphasize the importance of considering how multiple dimensions of social support operate to influence functioning, particularly early in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To have a child is among individuals' most important and meaningful decisions, with far-reaching implications. Despite evidence linking this decision to a wide variety of consequences, little is known about what motivates people to have children, and even less so about the long-term effects of different childbearing motivations on parenting and child adjustment. This study took a self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, examining how prenatal maternal autonomous and controlled childbearing motivations are related to child behavior problems through parenting styles. The rationale was that prenatal autonomous (sense of volition and self-fulfillment) and controlled (feeling pressured) childbearing motivations would shape later parental styles (autonomy-supportive vs. controlling, respectively) and, consequently, child adjustment. Over a period of 2 years beginning at pregnancy, 326 Israeli mothers reported their prenatal childbearing motivations, as well as parental styles and child behavior problems 20 months postpartum. Results of a path analysis revealed that prenatal autonomous childbearing motivation predicted autonomy-supportive parenting, yet the latter was not associated with children's behavior problems. Prenatal controlled motivation predicted controlling parenting, which, in turn, predicted children's internalizing and externalizing problems. No direct effects of childbearing motivation on children's behavior problems are observed, suggesting that childbearing motivation is a distal antecedent operating through more proximal factors such as parenting style. Findings were robust to children's temperamental tendencies and sociodemographic risk factors such as maternal age, high-risk pregnancy, and preterm birth. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for the discourse on motivations underlying the childbearing decision and their effects on parenting and child adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers are uniquely placed to comment on the psychosocial functioning of their students. In particular, teacher report of symptoms and functional impairment is crucial in a diagnostic assessment of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). For adolescents, however, schooling structures and other factors can influence the reliability of teacher reports. Clarity is needed for both clinicians and researchers regarding the interteacher reliability across different domains in the assessment of adolescents. This study investigated interrater reliability of teacher reports of adolescents using data from the 72-month follow-up of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Collaborative Multisite Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) when participants were 13–15.9 years old. For adolescents with a history of ADHD (MTA; N = 177–210), and a normative comparison group (Local Normative Control Group [LNCG]; N = 100–125), intraclass correlations (ICC) were examined between Math and English teacher reports of ADHD symptoms, externalizing behavior, scholastic competence, and social functioning. Results indicate poor to moderate reliability in the assessment of adolescents with a history of ADHD for core ADHD symptoms, social functioning and scholastic competence, and moderate to good reliability of externalizing behavior. Interteacher reliability was better for the normative comparison group in all domains except social functioning, which was also poor to moderate. Clinicians and researchers should be aware of potential inconsistencies in teacher reports and where possible collect multiple teacher reports to maximize reliability. Further implications for research and clinical practice are explored. Public Significance Statement: Teacher-reported symptoms and functioning of adolescents are important for the assessment and management of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), however, there are likely to be discrepancies between the ratings different teachers provide. This study demonstrates that teacher reports of adolescent functioning vary considerably, particularly regarding social functioning and ADHD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional personality disorder (PD) taxonomies have been developed for adult populations. We aimed to identify an adolescent hierarchical tree typology of PD indicators to provide classification into broad severity classes but also more fine-grained classification within those classes. A large sample of community adolescents (N = 1,940) completed a validated dimensional measure that covers a comprehensive range of pathologically formulated personality traits, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. Latent class tree modeling suggested three classes at the first level of the tree representing high, medium, and low PD-trait levels—thus spanning the range between normal and pathological personality. These classes were divided into subclasses lower in the hierarchy, which suggested subclinical variants of patterns that are often found in clinical samples, medium levels of externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and differential profiles of thriving in the low-risk classes. The identified classes had promising initial criterion validity based on meaningful relations with self- and peer-reported measures of friendship and social functioning with peers. Our hierarchical PD tree typology may represent groups at differential risk for developing PDs and could therefore be useful for preventive purposes. Public Signifiance Statement: The study identified a hierarchical PD tree typology among adolescents, suggesting three classes at the root of the tree representing high, medium, and low PD-trait levels, and classes lower in the hierarchy suggesting subclinical variants of patterns that are often found in clinical samples. The classes demonstrated initial evidence for validity by showing meaningful relations with peer relationship measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a dearth of research spanning multiple developmental stages to delineate the far-reaching implications of early tobacco smoke exposure for later behavior adaptation and also elucidate the underlying psychological mechanisms. Using NICHD SECCYD data, we conducted process model analyses to address this gap. Results indicated that early tobacco smoke exposure was not only negatively associated with preschool cool and hot inhibitory control, but also positively related to externalizing and internalizing problems in early adolescence. Further, early exposure was also positively associated with externalizing problems in early adolescence via a negative link with preschool cool inhibitory control. Behavior problems in toddlerhood also served as one mechanism underlying the implications of early exposure for behavior problems in early adolescence. As compared to nonexposed children, children with both prenatal and postnatal exposure tended to have lower cool and hot inhibitory control, whereas children with only prenatal exposure displayed lower hot inhibitory control. Regardless of whether exposure was across prenatal and postnatal periods, or restricted to prenatal phase alone, exposed children displayed more behavior problems in toddlerhood, which in turn predicted more behavior problems in early adolescence. All associations emerged after considering extensive potential confounding factors and did not vary across child sex. Taken together, early tobacco smoke exposure may induce self-regulation deficits and also early onset of behavior problems and thus elevate the risk of later psychopathology. Building a smoke free environment in pregnancy and infancy likely yields long-term benefits by facilitating adaptation in early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to integrate family systems theory, reflected in the construct of coparenting, with the attachment theory's concept of mentalization and how they are linked with children's behavior problems. We investigate the direct, indirect, and moderating links between mothers' and fathers' perceived coparenting, parental mentalization, and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior in the context of parents' general anxiety. Our sample consists of 78 cohabiting, heterosexual Israeli couples and their 3- to 5-year-old children. Both parents independently completed self-report questionnaires regarding their general anxiety, coparenting experiences and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior and were individually interviewed to assess their mind-mindedness. Actor-partner interdependent model extended for mediation analysis (APIMeM) revealed a direct actor and partner effect of parents' general anxiety on perceived coparenting and on the child's externalizing and internalizing behavior, and an indirect actor effect via coparenting, in the case of the child's externalizing behavior. In all models tested, the links were similar for mothers and fathers. Regression analysis with a PROCESS macro showed that maternal mind-mindedness, but not paternal mind-mindedness, moderated the direct link between parents' general anxiety and the child's externalizing behavior. Findings demonstrate the significant impact of fathers' and mothers' anxiety on the family system and on children in particular. We discuss the importance of coparenting as an executive subsystem in the family and of maternal mentalization as a buffer against the negative impact of parents' general anxiety on the child and suggest their potential contribution for prevention and treatment interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by multiple theories illustrating the transactional nature of the relation between parents' and children's behaviors, the present meta-analysis provides synthesized evidence on the strength of child-driven effects in eliciting changes in parents' psychological stress and parenting practices. A meta-analysis of 45 independent samples with 640 effect sizes found significant positive associations between children's externalizing behaviors and parents' subsequent functioning (r = .087, 95% CI [.07, .10]). These associations were net of parents' functioning at baseline, and the strength of these associations was statistically comparable with the effects of parents on children's externalizing behaviors (r = .075, 95% CI [.06, .09]). In addition, the strength of the child-driven effects did not vary as a function of child gender, age, or the time interval between assessments. The implications of these findings with respect to research on the dynamic relation between parenting functioning and children's adjustment are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the psychological science field, there is substantial interest in quantifying individual differences in self-regulatory capacity because of its transdiagnostic relevance to various forms of psychopathology. Trait disinhibition and impulsiveness are popular conceptualizations of dispositions reflecting self-regulation of behavioral and emotional responding. In the literature, these constructs are often treated interchangeably because of their shared focus on general disconstraint and a lack of direct comparisons between measures of each. The current work used structural modeling to examine conceptual and empirical differences between 2 popular operationalizations of these traits in 2 samples (Ns = 400, 308), and employed regression and dominance analyses to compare their predictive relations with criterion measures of externalizing problems and negative affectivity (NA). Impulsigenic traits were related both to externalizing problems and NA, whereas trait disinhibition was selectively associated with externalizing. In a dominance analysis, trait disinhibition exhibited complete dominance over all impulsigenic traits in predicting externalizing problems. Conversely, multiple impulsigenic traits evidenced complete dominance over trait disinhibition in prediction of NA. The current work provides evidence that (a) disinhibition and impulsigenic traits are not interchangeable, (b) disinhibition specifically indexes propensity for externalizing problems, and (c) impulsigenic traits reflect a blend of externalizing and NA that appears relevant to diverse forms of psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poorer language ability has been shown to predict the development of externalizing behavior problems such as aggression and conduct problems. However, the developmental process that links poorer language ability to externalizing problems is unclear. The present study examined (a) whether within-child changes in language ability predict within-child changes in externalizing problems, (b) whether social skills are a potential mechanism that explains the association between language ability and externalizing problems, and (c) whether there are sex-related differences in the association between language ability and externalizing problems. The present study examined these questions in children (N = 1,364) followed annually from 4 to 10 years of age. Language ability was assessed by a measure of receptive language (i.e., vocabulary). Externalizing problems were rated by mothers and teachers. Social skills were rated by mothers, fathers, and teachers. Findings showed that within-child changes in language ability predicted within-child changes in externalizing problems, even controlling for the family's income-to-needs ratio. We found that social skills partially mediated the association between poorer language ability and later externalizing problems, but this was limited to a between-person effect. There was not strong evidence of sex-related differences in the association. Findings suggest that language ability may play a role in the development of externalizing problems for boys and girls, and that social skills may be a mechanism that partially explains how poorer language ability leads to the development of externalizing problems. Or, alternatively, language ability, social skills, and externalizing problems may partially share common causes. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: Poorer language ability in children has been shown to predict the development of externalizing behavior problems such as aggression and conduct problems, but the reasons for this are not known. In a sample of 4- to 10-year-old children, language ability predicted their changes in externalizing problems. Poorer social skills partially explained why children with poorer language ability tended to develop more externalizing problems. The association between poorer language ability and more externalizing problems was similar for boys and girls. Findings suggest that poorer language ability may play a role in the development of externalizing problems for boys and girls, and that poorer social skills may be a mechanism that partially explains how poorer language ability leads to the development of externalizing problems. However, it is also possible that language ability, social skills, and externalizing problems partially share common causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hundreds of studies have documented an association between depression in mothers and behavior problems in children. Theory and empirical findings suggest this association may be confounded by other factors, but little attention has been paid to this issue. We used propensity score methods in a sample of 731 low-income families assessed repeatedly from child age 2 through 14 years to produce a weighted sample of families that were similar at child age 3 years except for mothers' depression. Depressive symptomatology was measured via self-report rating scale. Mothers were categorized as having clinically-elevated versus non-clinically-elevated scores based on an established threshold. Mothers with elevated versus nonelevated scores were equated on 89 other relevant characteristics (e.g., SES, child behavior, marital conflict). We then compared the equated groups on mother, secondary caregiver, and teacher ratings of child externalizing and internalizing behavior from child ages 4 to 14 years. Prior to equating, the mean prima facie effect of exposure to clinically-elevated mothers' depression scores at child age 3 years was d = 0.45 per mothers, d = 0.26 per secondary caregivers, and d = 0.13 per teachers. After equating, the mean adjusted effect was d = 0.07 per mothers, d = 0.01 per secondary caregivers, and d = 0.03 per teachers. Findings suggest that a substantial portion of the prima facie association between mothers' depression and later child behavior problems is accounted for by confounding variables rather than a causal effect of depressive symptoms per se. To fully understand why children of depressed mothers exhibit more behavior problems, a multicausal theory is needed that jointly considers the cluster of co-occurring clinical features that often accompany maternal depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are increasingly concerned with the well-being of the whole child - likely, more so since the COVID-19 pandemic - and goals here were to document the psychometric properties of a brief new measure of adolescent mental health, the Well-Being Index (WBI). The measure assesses 4 symptom areas, 2 each of internalizing and externalizing symptoms-Depression, Anxiety, Rule-Breaking, and Substance Use-and an optional scale on Isolation at School. A total of 2,444 students from 2 high schools completed the WBI, the Youth Self-Report (YSR), and other related measures. Alpha coefficients showed acceptable internal consistency, with values for the 5 WBI subscales at .83, .84, .78, .79, and .74, respectively. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated consistent factorial validity. Correlations with corresponding YSR subscales indicated good convergent and discriminant validity. The WBI Substance Use and Isolation at School subscales, similarly, had high correlations with subscales from preexisting measures. Criterion-related validity was indicated in significant correlations between WBI subscales and conceptually related dimensions of close relationships. Also examined was the percentage of youth falling above clinical cutoffs on both the WBI and YSR, and findings demonstrated high concurrent validity. Collectively, results suggest the promise of the WBI as a brief, psychometrically sound measure to assess the adjustment of adolescents, along with perceptions of school climate that can be modified toward fostering their overall well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]