Individual and Familial Risk Factors in Preschoolers Internalizing and Externalizing Trajectories Archana Basu, Alexan

1. Individual and Familial Risk Factors in Preschoolers’ Internalizing and Externalizing Trajectories Archana Basu, Alexander von Eye, & G. Anne BogatMichigan State University INTRODUCTION Developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing behaviors Developmental research suggests that physical aggression initially appears in a child’s behavioral repertoire during infancy. But children learn to regulate these aggressive behaviors in the preschool period. Unlike children who show this decline in aggression, children who are unable to effectively regulate their behavior are at an increased risk for later negative outcomes such as substance use-related difficulties, domestic violence, anti-social personality disorder, depression and suicide, and ineffective parenting (e.g., Broidy et al., 2003). Two studies have examined behavioral outcomes in preschoolers (Alink et al., 2006; Tremblay et al., 2004). They found a subgroup of children who displayed consistently high levels of externalizing behaviors longitudinally throughout preschool, in contrast to other subgroups, who displayed an initial increase followed by an eventual decline in externalizing outcomes. However, these studies only examined externalizing behaviors. But it may be necessary to examine internalizing behaviors as well, since internalizing and externalizing behaviors frequently co-occur (e.g., Harden et al., 2000). Also, the presence of internalizing symptoms in early childhood has been found to be predictive of later internalizing outcomes (e.g., Mesman & Koot, 2000). Predictors of internalizing and externalizing behavioral trajectories “Difficult” temperament: Includes a constellation of behaviors such as high reactivity, low adaptation to novelty, and a tendency to respond negatively, appear to function as risk factors for negative outcomes. This is one of the few risks which have been studied more extensively in early and middle childhood and has consistently been shown to confer a risk of poor emotional and behavioral outcomes in children is related to infant temperament (e.g., Thomas & Chess, 1984). Domestic violence (DV: defined as male violence towards a female partner): There is considerable evidence to document its adverse impact of exposure on children. Higher levels of both, internalizing (anxiety, depression, etc.) and externalizing symptoms (aggression, inattention, etc.) have been found in children from households with DV (e.g., Litrownik et al., 2003). Maternal Psychopathology: Various maternal characteristics have also been associated with children’s negative behavioral outcomes. Studies have found that the presence of maternal antisocial personality is associated with both internalizing (Leonard et al., 2000) and externalizing symptoms (Leonard et al., 2000; Tremblay et al., 2004). Other mental health indicators such as depression (Essex, et al., 2003) and anxiety (Jarvis et al., 2005) have also been linked with negative behavioral outcomes in children. Current Study First, we sought to identify distinctive subgroups of children who differ in their trajectories of internalizing and externalizing behaviors during preschool. A person-centered approach was used to examine internalizing and externalizing trajectories at ages 2, 3, 4, and 5 years. Analyses were conducted separately for internalizing and externalizing outcomes. First, children were categorized into two groups - low (1) and high (2), on their internalizing and externalizing scores, at each of the four time periods based on a median split. The resultant patterns indicated trajectories of internalizing and externalizing symptoms such as 1111, 2122, 1122 etc. These patterns were input into a first order Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA) to identify subgroups that occur more (or less) often than would be expected by chance. Second, we sought to identify individual and familial risk factors that predict membership in these subgroups. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted. Individual and familial risk factors were used to predict CFA patterns of internalizing and externalizing behaviors.