Dataset Information

Family Functioning and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Disentangling between-, and Within-Family Associations.

ABSTRACT: Adolescence is often a period of onset for internalizing and externalizing problems. At the same time, adolescent maturation and increasing autonomy from parents push for changes in family functioning. Even though theoretically expected links among the changes in family functioning and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems exist, studies examining this link on the within-family level are lacking. This longitudinal, pre-registered, and open-science study, examined the within-family dynamic longitudinal associations among family functioning, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Greek adolescents (N?=?480, M_age?=?15.73, 47.9% girls, at Wave 1) completed self-report questionnaires, three times in 12 months. Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPM) were applied; such models explicitly disentangle between-family differences from within-family processes, thereby offering a more stringent examination of within-family hypotheses. Results showed that family functioning was not significantly associated with internalizing or externalizing problems, on the within-family level. Also, alternative standard Cross-Lagged Panel Models (CLPM) were applied; such models have been recently criticized for failing to explicitly disentangle between-family variance from within-family variance, but they have been the standard approach to investigating questions of temporal ordering. Results from these analyses offered evidence that adolescents with higher internalizing and externalizing problems compared to their peers, tended to be those who later experienced worse family functioning, but not vice versa. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

SUBMITTER: Mastrotheodoros S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7105424 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Family Functioning and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Disentangling between-, and Within-Family Associations.

Mastrotheodoros Stefanos S Canário Catarina C Cristina Gugliandolo Maria M Merkas Marina M Keijsers Loes L

Journal of youth and adolescence 20190805 4

Adolescence is often a period of onset for internalizing and externalizing problems. At the same time, adolescent maturation and increasing autonomy from parents push for changes in family functioning. Even though theoretically expected links among the changes in family functioning and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems exist, studies examining this link on the within-family level are lacking. This longitudinal, pre-registered, and open-science study, examined the within-family ...[more]

PMID: 31385230

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Project description:The development of child mental health problems has been associated with experiences of adversity and dysregulation of stress response systems; however, past research has largely focused on externalizing or internalizing problems (rather than their co-occurrence) and single physiological systems in high-risk adolescent samples. The present study examined whether cumulative family adversity, functioning in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (i.e., cortisol) and the parasympathetic nervous system (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]), and their interactions, predicted trajectories of co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems among young children. Participants included 338 socioeconomically and racially diverse children (M age = 5.32 years, SD = .32; male = 51.8%) from a community sample. Family adversity (assessed with six measures) and child daily cortisol output and resting RSA were assessed in kindergarten. Parents, teachers, and children reported on children's externalizing and internalizing psychopathology up to three times from kindergarten to grade 1. Latent class growth analyses identified stable trajectories of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Trajectories were combined to create groups: co-occurring externalizing and internalizing (13.1%), externalizing-only (14.0%), internalizing-only (11.3%), and low problems (61.3%). Family adversity and resting RSA significantly positively predicted co-occurring group membership. Tests for interactions showed adversity did not significantly interact with physiological indicators to predict group membership. However, the two physiological systems interacted, such that higher and lower daily cortisol predicted internalizing group membership for children with lower and higher resting RSA, respectively. Findings support the importance of considering family context and multiple physiological systems to inform understanding of the development of mental health problems, and their co-occurrence, in early childhood.

Project description:ImportanceSocial media use may be a risk factor for mental health problems in adolescents. However, few longitudinal studies have investigated this association, and none have quantified the proportion of mental health problems among adolescents attributable to social media use.ObjectiveTo assess whether time spent using social media per day is prospectively associated with internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents.Design, setting, and participantsThis longitudinal cohort study of 6595 participants from waves 1 (September 12, 2013, to December 14, 2014), 2 (October 23, 2014, to October 30, 2015), and 3 (October 18, 2015, to October 23, 2016) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study, a nationally representative cohort study of US adolescents, assessed US adolescents via household interviews using audio computer-assisted self-interviewing. Data analysis was performed from January 14, 2019, to May 22, 2019.ExposuresSelf-reported time spent on social media during a typical day (none, ≤30 minutes, >30 minutes to ≤3 hours, >3 hours to ≤6 hours, and >6 hours) during wave 2.Main outcomes and measureSelf-reported past-year internalizing problems alone, externalizing problems alone, and comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems during wave 3 using the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener.ResultsA total of 6595 adolescents (aged 12-15 years during wave 1; 3400 [51.3%] male) were studied. In unadjusted analyses, spending more than 30 minutes of time on social media, compared with no use, was associated with increased risk of internalizing problems alone (≤30 minutes: relative risk ratio [RRR], 1.30; 95% CI, 0.94-1.78; >30 minutes to ≤3 hours: RRR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.36-2.64; >3 to ≤6 hours: RRR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.74-3.49; >6 hours: RRR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.88-4.26) and comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems (≤30 minutes: RRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06-1.82; >30 minutes to ≤3 hours: RRR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.83-3.00; >3 to ≤6 hours: RRR, 3.15; 95% CI, 2.43-4.09; >6 hours: RRR, 4.29; 95% CI, 3.22-5.73); associations with externalizing problems were inconsistent. In adjusted analyses, use of social media for more than 3 hours per day compared with no use remained significantly associated with internalizing problems alone (>3 to ≤6 hours: RRR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.11-2.31; >6 hours: RRR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.15-2.77) and comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems (>3 to ≤6 hours: RRR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.51-2.66; >6 hours: RRR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.73-3.43) but not externalizing problems alone.Conclusions and relevanceAdolescents who spend more than 3 hours per day using social media may be at heightened risk for mental health problems, particularly internalizing problems. Future research should determine whether setting limits on daily social media use, increasing media literacy, and redesigning social media platforms are effective means of reducing the burden of mental health problems in this population.

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Project description:ImportanceMental health problems in early life are associated with labor market marginalization, especially in youths with persistent internalizing and externalizing problems. However, previous research has not adjusted for familial (genetic and shared environmental) factors.ObjectiveTo examine associations of early-life internalizing and externalizing problems with adulthood unemployment and work disability, adjusting for familial factors.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based prospective cohort study included Swedish twins who were born in 1985-1986 and surveyed at 4 consecutive waves across childhood and adolescence until 2005. Through linkage to nationwide registries, participants were followed up from 2006 to 2018. Data analyses were conducted between September 2022 and April 2023.ExposuresInternalizing and externalizing problems, assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist. Participants were differentiated regarding duration of internalizing and externalizing problems (persistent, episodic, and noncases).Main outcomes and measuresUnemployment (180 days or more of being unemployed) and work disability (60 days or more of being sickness absent or disability pensioned) during follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression models were calculated to obtain cause-specific hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs in the whole cohort and exposure-discordant twin pairs.ResultsOf 2845 participants, 1464 (51.5%) were female. Incident unemployment was experienced by 944 (33.2%) and incident work disability by 522 (18.3%) participants. Compared with noncases, persistent internalizing problems were associated with unemployment (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.27-1.92) and work disability (HR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.80-2.99). Similarly, compared with noncases, persistent externalizing problems were associated with unemployment (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.55-2.26) and work disability (HR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.87-3.03). Persistent cases had overall higher risks of adverse outcomes than episodic cases. After adjustment for familial factors, associations with unemployment were no longer statistically significant, whereas associations with work disability remained or were only slightly reduced.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of young Swedish twins, familial factors explained the associations between early-life persistent internalizing and externalizing problems and unemployment; such factors were comparatively less important for the association with work disability. This suggests nonshared environmental factors may be important for the risk of future work disability among young individuals with persistent internalizing and externalizing problems.

Dataset Information

Family Functioning and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Disentangling between-, and Within-Family Associations.

Publications

Family Functioning and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Disentangling between-, and Within-Family Associations.

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