Temperamental characteristics as predictors of externalizing and internalizing child behavior problems in the contexts of high and low parental psychopathology

This study investigated whether the relationships between dimensions of ear ly child temperament and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems differ in relation to the degree of parental psychopathology to which child ren are exposed. Tn addition, the reciprocal relation between externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, and stability patterns (i.e., autoreg ression) of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems were investig ated using a two-group structural model. A sample of 215 boys (mean age = 4 .22) and their parents were assessed when the boys were 3-5 years old and a gain when they were 6-8 years old. For the children of parents with two or more lifetime psychopathology diagnoses, high activity, short attention spa n/distractibility, and high reactivity were linked to extemalizing behavior problems, whereas withdrawal was linked to internalizing behavior problems . For children from low parental psychopathology families, only reactivity was linked to externalizing behavior problems, whereas withdrawal was linke d to internalizing behavior problems. Children from high parental psychopat hology families (alcohol use disorder and antisocial personality disorder) showed lower stability (autoregression) estimates of behavior problems. The reciprocal relation between externalizing and internalizing behavior probl ems was supported when children were 6-8 years old, but not when they were 3-5 years old.