It has only been recently that research in childhood psychopathology has focused on a group of disorders referred to as internalizing disorders. Internalizing disorders can include such problems as depression. anxiety, social withdrawal, and somatic complaints. Even though research has begun to focus on internalizing disorders with majority children. there has been very little research conducted on ethnic minority children, Native American children in particular. The present study involved obtaining a Native American sample and determining their internalizing symptomology utilizing the Internalizing Symptom Scale for Children (ISSC), the Reynolds Child Depression Scale (RCDS), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (ST AIC). The study sample was compared to a matched normative sample from the ISSC database. Statistical procedures included bivariate correlations, analysis of variance (ANOV A), and discriminant function analysis. Correlations between the ISSC and the two comparison measures (RCDS and ST AIC) were in the expected direction and of moderate to strong magnitude. The total internalizing symptoms scores of the Native American (Lakota Sioux) sample were similar to those of a matched comparison group from the ISSC national normative database. However, the study sample evidenced a unique pattern of responses on the ISSC subscales, reporting lower rates of both internalizing distress and positive affect. Teacher nominations of potential "internalizers" proved to be a poor predictor of their self-reported symptoms. Implications of this study for clinical practice and future research directions in this area are discussed.

Many children and their families who seek assistance for childhood behaviour disorders experience comorbid disorders, namely the presence of two or more disorders. Although comorbid disorders are recognized as a frequent clinical complication, minimal direction exists within the literature about the risk factors for comorbid conditions and how best to provide intervention services. In this study an ecological framework was used to compare the individual, family, and community environmental contexts of young girls who presented at intake at a children’s mental health centre with comorbid externalizing and internalizing disorders, and girls who presented at intake with externalizing disorders only. The treatment response to a cognitive-behavioural intervention for externalizing behaviour disorders was examined, by comparing externalizing scores over time between girls with comorbid externalizing and internalizing disorders and girls with externalizing disorders only. Additionally, internalizing scores over time for girls with comorbid disorders were examined. Results indicated that a history of abuse and a cluster of individual characteristics placed girls at higher risk to present with comorbid conditions. The results also indicated that girls with comorbid disorders experienced a reduction of both externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Only 1 in 7.4 girls, however, scored below the clinical range for both externalizing and internalizing disorders at the end of the treatment phase, in comparison to 1 in 5 girls scoring below the clinical range for externalizing disorders in the noncomorbid group.

The current investigation compared the fit of three models of internalizing in middle childhood: (1) a unitary factor model, (2) a two-factor model corresponding to the DSM-IV Anxiety/Depression distinction, and (3) a two-factor model corresponding to the Fear/Distress distinction observed in structural studies of adult psychopathology (Krueger, 1999; Slade & Watson, 2006). Mothers of 344 children (50.6% female, mean age = 9.97, SD = .82) reported on childhood internalizing symptoms and personality traits. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed acceptable fit indices for all three models. The unitary factor model provided the most parsimonious fit to the data. Although the structural analyses suggested that internalizing subfactors were not differentiated in middle childhood, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that personality dimensions uniquely predicted fear and distress disorders. These results suggest that personality foreshadows later psychopathology structure before it is manifest at the symptom level.

The current investigation compared the fit of three models of internalizing in middle childhood: (1) a unitary factor model, (2) a two-factor model corresponding to the DSM-IV Anxiety/Depression distinction, and (3) a two-factor model corresponding to the Fear/Distress distinction observed in structural studies of adult psychopathology (Krueger, 1999; Slade & Watson, 2006). Mothers of 344 children (50.6% female, mean age = 9.97, SD = .82) reported on childhood internalizing symptoms and personality traits. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed acceptable fit indices for all three models. The unitary factor model provided the most parsimonious fit to the data. Although the structural analyses suggested that internalizing subfactors were not differentiated in middle childhood, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that personality dimensions uniquely predicted fear and distress disorders. These results suggest that personality foreshadows later psychopathology structure before it is manifest at the symptom level.

Many children and their families who seek assistance for childhood behaviour disorders experience comorbid disorders, namely the presence of two or more disorders. Although comorbid disorders are recognized as a frequent clinical complication, minimal direction exists within the literature about the risk factors for comorbid conditions and how best to provide intervention services. In this study an ecological framework was used to compare the individual, family, and community environmental contexts of young girls who presented at intake at a children’s mental health centre with comorbid externalizing and internalizing disorders, and girls who presented at intake with externalizing disorders only. The treatment response to a cognitive-behavioural intervention for externalizing behaviour disorders was examined, by comparing externalizing scores over time between girls with comorbid externalizing and internalizing disorders and girls with externalizing disorders only. Additionally, internalizing scores over time for girls with comorbid disorders were examined. Results indicated that a history of abuse and a cluster of individual characteristics placed girls at higher risk to present with comorbid conditions. The results also indicated that girls with comorbid disorders experienced a reduction of both externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Only 1 in 7.4 girls, however, scored below the clinical range for both externalizing and internalizing disorders at the end of the treatment phase, in comparison to 1 in 5 girls scoring below the clinical range for externalizing disorders in the noncomorbid group.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern for practitioners and researchers. In addition to obesity being a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, children classified as obese are more likely to demonstrate other risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, children classified as obese are more likely to be victims of bullying and discrimination. This dissertation tested a dynamic cascade model of the development of childhood obesity. It was hypothesized that externalizing behaviors and internalizing problems would lead to increased body mass index. This model was tested in Mplus v7 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998) using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. This dissertation used parent report of externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors, teacher report of externalizing behaviors, and body mass index to examine several different ways in which developmental psychopathology related to childhood obesity. The results suggested that body mass index predicts the development of internalizing problems in late childhood. However, externalizing behaviors were not directly or indirectly associated with body mass index. These findings suggested that the assessment of children with internalizing problems should include an assessment of their weight and weight related concerns.

Temperament is widely recognized as an important factor in shaping the trajectory of social and emotional development across childhood. However, the particular mechanisms by which temperamental differences contribute to emergence of early prosocial or problem behaviors have been poorly elucidated. The current study sought to examine the association between various temperamental factors on the emergence of internalizing, externalizing and empathic behaviors in toddlers. Temperament profiles were derived for 38 children, aged 29 to 34 months, based on responses by mothers to questions on the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire. Internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Finally, empathic behaviors were measured behaviorally during a laboratory play session. Scores on three temperamental factor scales (negative affect, surgency, and effortful control) were examined in relation to behavioral problems (internalizing/externalizing) and prosocial (global empathy towards mother/experimenter) behaviors using linear correlations and regressions. Higher negative emotionality was linked with increased internalizing and externalizing behaviors, while increased surgency was associated with decreased internalizing behaviors. These results are consistent with prior studies of temperament, supporting the contention that early child temperament significantly contributes to the emergence of behavior problems. No significant interaction effects were found between temperament styles in predicting behavior problems. Additionally, no significant main or interaction effects were found in predicting adaptive behaviors, such as empathic responding. The significance of these results is discussed with respect to our understanding of the etiological pathways to adaptive and maladaptive socioemotional development. / text

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This study investigated the etiology of preschoolers’ somatic symptoms and internalizing problems, using a twin sample. A specific focus was placed on the genetic (i.e., DRD4 and 5-HTTLPR) and environmental (i.e., SES, household chaos, family conflict, and maternal emotional stability) factors that were hypothesized to be associated with these problems. This project also explored the possible gene-environmental interactions (GxE) that may exist among these contributors. It was hypothesized that children who are at greatest risk due to their genotype, environment, or a combination of the two would display elevated somatic symptoms and internalizing problems, compared to children who were less at-risk due to these factors. Data from 252 families included in the Southern Illinois Twins/Triplets and Siblings Study (SITSS) at age 5 were examined. Results indicated a significant DRD4 x household chaos interaction predicting preschoolers’ somatic symptoms, demonstrating that children with the DRD4-7r genotype exhibited less somaticizing in highly chaotic homes. Additionally, 5-year-old internalizing problems were significantly predicted by the cumulative environmental risk factor created (i.e., top 15% of scores for each environmental variable in the current sample) and marginally by the additive genotypic risk factor (i.e., a summation of the DRD4 and 5-HTTLPR “risk” scores). These results provide additional insight into the factors that may place children at greater risk for somatic symptoms and internalizing problems.

abstract: Mexican American adolescents report high rates of internalizing symptomatology and alcohol use. However, very little research has explored to what extent internalizing distress may contribute to alcohol use among this population. The current study utilized longitudinal data from a community sample of Mexican American adolescents (n=626, 51% female) to test a series of hypotheses about the role of internalizing distress on alcohol use and misuse. Specifically, this study used a bifactor modeling approach to investigate (1) whether different forms of internalizing distress are composed of common and unique components; (2) whether and to what extent such components confer risk for alcohol use; and (3) whether youth cultural orientation plays a role in these associations. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a bifactor model with a general factor and three specific factors (depressed mood, general worry, social anxiety) provided good fit to the data. The general distress factor was significantly associated with past month alcohol use but not binge drinking. However, these effects were conditional based on level of acculturation. Differential relations were found between the specific factors of internalizing distress and alcohol use. Depressed mood predicted past month alcohol use among girls; social anxiety negatively predicted past three month binge drinking among boys. Overall, results highlight the multidimensional nature of internalizing distress and suggest that both common and unique components of internalizing distress may be relevant to the etiology of alcohol use among Mexican-American adolescents. Findings underscore the importance of considering cultural orientation as a moderating factor when investigating substance use among Hispanic youth. Implications for future research examining the etiological relevance of the internalizing pathway to alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2018