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Daily Mood Reactivity to Stress during Childhood Predicts Internalizing Problems Three Years Later

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Abstract

The mental health toll of common school problems that many children encounter every day is not well understood. This study examined individual differences in mood reactivity to naturally occurring school problems using daily diaries, and assessed their prospective associations with youth mental health, three years later. At baseline, 47 children ages 8 to 13 years described common problems at school and mood on a daily basis, for 8 weeks. Thirty-three youth returned for follow-up three years later at ages 11 to 17 years. Children and parents also completed one-time questionnaires about youth mental health at baseline and follow-up. There were individual differences in the within-person associations between school problems and same-day and next-day mood. A greater tendency to react to school problems with more negative mood or less positive mood on the same day predicted more parent-rated internalizing and externalizing problems and child ratings of depression symptoms three years later, relative to baseline levels of symptoms. Daily diaries can help to identify specific targets of psychosocial interventions in real world settings.

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Notes

  1. Response options for personal parental income were slightly modified between year 2 and 3 of study enrollment for consistency with 2010 changes in federal tax brackets. Of those enrolled during the first two years, 19.6% reported income < $8350; 7.8% between $7826–$31,850, 35.3% between $31,851–$64,250, 17.6% between $64,251–$97,925 and 19.6% > $97,926. For parents in year 3, 13.2% reported income < $8375; 23.7% between $8376–$34,000, 44.7% between $34,001–$82,400, 15.8% between $82,401–$171,850 and 2.6% > $171,851.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you to the parents and children in the UCLA Families and Health study for their participation, and the graduate students, laboratory staff, and undergraduate research assistants for their time and efforts.

Funding

This research was supported by a Research Grant (9333) from the William T. Grant Foundation. Work on this study was also supported by the UCLA Graduate Division Dissertation Year Fellowship awarded to the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Sunhye Bai

  2. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Sunhye Bai

  3. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Theodore F. Robles & Rena L. Repetti

  4. National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD, USA

    Bridget M. Reynolds

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  1. Sunhye Bai
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  2. Theodore F. Robles
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Correspondence to Sunhye Bai.

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Bai, S., Robles, T.F., Reynolds, B.M. et al. Daily Mood Reactivity to Stress during Childhood Predicts Internalizing Problems Three Years Later. J Abnorm Child Psychol 48, 1063–1075 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00650-7

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