Maternal depression is a robust risk factor for heightened internalizing symptoms in offspring. Studies also suggest that maternal depression is associated with greater maternal emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. However, emotion regulation has been conceptualized as a multidimensional construct, and few studies have identified specific components of ER related to maternal depression and the role these components may play in the relationship between maternal depression and child internalizing symptoms. Mothers (n = 73) of young children (ages 4–9; 42 females), recruited from both clinical and community settings, reported their depression symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties. Children’s internalizing symptoms were assessed using both parental report and a semi-structured clinical interview. Regression analyses revealed that maternal depression symptoms were positively related to maternal ER, specifically, limited access to emotion regulation strategies and non-acceptance of emotional responses. Structural equation models revealed that the relation between maternal depression and child internalizing problems was mediated only through mother’s limited access to emotion regulation strategies. Our findings offer new insight for targeting mothers’ limited access to emotion strategies as a novel early intervention method to help break the intergenerational transmission of internalizing symptoms from mother to child.

The knowledge base targeting internalizing symptomatology in Native American children is surprisingly limited. As yet, it is not clear if the process and symptoms of internalizing disorders are the same across cultures. The need for further investigation is heightened by the fact that, compared to the majority population, Native Americans are believed to be at greater risk for psychological problems because of impoverished conditions, high unemployment, and high numbers of traumatic events on the reservations. Additionally, the losses of traditional culture and language are considered risk factors for greater psychopathology. The negative ramifications of internalizing disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety) include academic failure, lowered social skills and self-esteem, and greater risk for substance abuse and suicide. Furthermore, evidence suggests that all children with mental disorders are at high risk for severe psychopathology when left unidentified or untreated. It seems clear that additional research is needed to better understand internalizing symptoms among members of this cultural group. To help meet this need, the present study focused on internalizing disorders among Native American children from the southwest, utilizing a portion of extant data from the Flower of Two Soils Project. This project was one of very few methodologically sound studies that have been successful in obtaining multisource. multimethod data on social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of Native American children. Data were collected using a modified version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Youth Self-Report (YSR), and Teacher's Report Form (TRF) assessment instruments for parents, teachers, and children. Findings with respect to elementary school-aged children found relatively high rates of depression, anxiety, somatization symptoms and, potentially, disorders. These findings are a cause for concern among parents, teachers, and all agencies responsible for children's mental health. Across all three informant groups a consistent pattern of negative correlations was observed between internalizing symptoms and child competencies. This finding is consistent with previous findings for the general population. However,. competitiveness and academic achievement were positively correlated with internalizing symptoms, perhaps indicating that an emphasis on competitiveness and individual achievement is stressful for children from a collectivistic Native American culture. This was a descriptive study providing broad exploratory information, but there remains a need for more focused research identifying multivariate relationships among relevant variables. These findings should be cautiously interpreted and with due consideration for the specific cultural and historical context of children and families. Recommendations are included for research and practice.

The need for a self-report instrument that assesses internalizing problems in children ages 8 through 12 is evidenced in the lack of such an instrument, and in the prevalence of internalizing problems in children. A new self-report instrument, the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC), has been proposed and developed to fit this need. The present study evaluated the criterion-related validity, clinical cutoff points, and discriminating power of the ISSC. Two groups of child subjects, clinic-referred and general-school-population, were recruited and administered the ISSC, and a parent of each subject completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Each case within the clinic-referred group was then classified as an Internalizer or non-Internalizer based on the CBCL Internalizing T-score. The CBCL was identified as the criterion because of empirical methods used in creating the factor structure, extensive clinical use, psychometric properties, cross-informant design, and large research representation. Results of the evaluations indicated the ISSC to have moderate, yet adequate evidence of criterion-related validity, an optimum clinical cutoff point of 70 (raw score), and strong discriminating power. These results give support for the clinical use of the ISSC as a screening instrument, and for potential use in diagnosis and treatment planning.

Early identification of emotional and behavioral disorders is critical in ensuring that students receive the interventions and supports necessary for school success. While externalizing and internalizing behaviors often occur comorbidly, more research is needed to understand how different subtypes of these behaviors may manifest, especially in the early elementary school years. Further, as schools increase their emphasis on universal, evidence-based interventions as tools for preventing the development of later social-emotional and behavior challenges, it is important to understand how different groups of students respond to such interventions. In the present study, I explored the behavioral and emotional profiles of 470 second-grade students using latent profile analysis. I also examined how students transitioned between profiles over the course of one school year (i.e., fall to spring) within the context of a social-emotional intervention (Social Skills Improvement System-Classwide Intervention Program, SSIS-CIP; Elliott & Gresham, 2007). Additionally, I used multinomial logistic regression analyses to examine if child race, gender, teacher-student relationship, and treatment condition (intervention vs. control) predicted profile membership and transition over the course of a school year. I used five behavioral composites from the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales-Teacher Form (SSIS-RST; Gresham & Elliott, 2008) to create the student profiles. Three profiles of students emerged in the present study. The first profile (normative) was characterized by the lowest levels of all five externalizing and internalizing behaviors. The second profile (at-risk) demonstrated elevated levels of impulsive behaviors, conduct problems, and emotion dysregulation, with less elevated levels of bullying. The third profile (comorbid) demonstrated elevated levels of all five externalizing and internalizing behaviors. From fall to spring, students in the normative profile exhibited a 93% probability of remaining in the normative profile. Students in the at-risk profile demonstrated a similarly high likelihood of remaining in the at-risk profile over time (72%), while students in the comorbid profile experienced a 57% chance of remaining in the comorbid profile over time. Teachers’ observed emotional support, child race, child gender, and participation in the SSIS-CIP intervention were all predictors of profile movement, however, the associations varied across the different profiles. Results of the present study suggest the SSIS-CIP may function as a preventative tool for students identified within the normative group as well as an effective intervention for those students with the most severe behavioral presentations. Consistent with previous research, teachers rated males and students of color higher on measures of externalizing behaviors. Notably, while female students were less likely to be identified in the comorbid profile in the fall, they were more likely to remain in that profile over time compared to male students who were identified in the comorbid profile in the fall. Surprisingly, teacher emotional support was negatively associated with movement from the at-risk group to the normative group. Future research should continue to explore the ways in which externalizing and internalizing behaviors manifest in young children as well as the intersection between gender and race as it relates to teachers’ ratings of students’ behaviors. / School Psychology

Emotion socialization influences adolescent emotional adjustment. Friendships provide a venue for emotion socialization, yet little research has compared emotion socialization processes with parents versus friends and how they correspond to adolescent outcomes. The present study examined parent and friend socialization of negative emotions in relation to adolescents' emotional coherence, emotion regulation, and internalizing symptoms. Thirty parent-adolescent-friend triads (13–18 years old; 60% female, 40% male) from the community participated. Study variables were measured with a multi-method approach, including observational data, heart rate variability, and self-report. Parents and friends evidenced disparate patterns of socialization responses and unique ties to adolescent outcomes, which has important clinical applications. Friends, as well as parents, are important and distinct socialization agents within the developmental context of adolescence.

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