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Examining Longitudinal Associations between Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Problems at Within- and Between-Child Levels

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Abstract

Externalizing and internalizing behavior problems are known to often co-occur, but mechanisms underlying this co-occurrence remain unclear: whether the associations are due to causal influences of one domain on the other or due to common risk processes influencing both domains. This study aimed to better understand the sources of co-occurring behavior problems by disentangling within- and between-child levels of associations between the two across the five years of childhood, from pre-kindergarten to Grade 3. We analyzed a longitudinal sample of 1060 children from non-urban settings in the U.S. using random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) as an alternative to the commonly-used standard CLPMs. Results indicate that co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems can be explained partly by a unidirectional influence from externalizing to internalizing problems operating within children and partly by stable differences between children that influence both domains of problems. Further analyses indicate that an executive function deficit in early childhood is an important shared risk factor for both problems, suggesting the utility of executive function interventions in preventing or addressing externalizing and internalizing problems in childhood.

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Acknowledgements

The Family Life Project (FLP) Phase II Key Investigators include: Lynne Vernon-Feagans, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mark T. Greenberg, The Pennsylvania State University, Clancy B. Blair, New York University, Margaret R. Burchinal, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Martha Cox, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Patricia T. Garrett-Peters, Duke University, Jennifer L. Frank, The Pennsylvania State University, W. Roger Mills-Koonce, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and Michael T. Willoughby, RTI International.

Funding

Support for this research was provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grants (P01HD039667) with co-funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Center for Minority Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas—Health Science Center at Houston, 7000 Fannin St., Suite 2478, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Yoonkyung Oh

  2. Prevention Research Center, 306 BBH, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Mark T. Greenberg

  3. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, 27709, USA

    Michael T. Willoughby

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  1. Yoonkyung Oh
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The Family Life Project Key Investigators

  • Lynne Vernon-Feagans
  • , Mark T. Greenberg
  • , Clancy B. Blair
  • , Margaret R. Burchinal
  • , Martha Cox
  • , Patricia T. Garrett-Peters
  • , Jennifer L. Frank
  • , W. Roger Mills-Koonce
  •  & Michael T. Willoughby

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Oh, Y., Greenberg, M.T., Willoughby, M.T. et al. Examining Longitudinal Associations between Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Problems at Within- and Between-Child Levels. J Abnorm Child Psychol 48, 467–480 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-019-00614-6

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