ArticleSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2021
Early childhood internalizing problems, externalizing problems and their co-occurrence and (mal)adaptive functioning in emerging adulthood: a 16-year follow-up study.
Article in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The relationship between 24-h movement behaviors and internalizing and externalizing problems in children: a systematic review.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of emotionally oriented parental interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Pooled it
- Relationships between Child Development at School Entry and Adolescent Health-A Participatory Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Technology-Enhanced BPT for Early-Onset Behavior Disorders: Improved Outcomes for Children With Co-Occurring Internalizing Symptoms.Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53Trial
- Longitudinal Transitions Between Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms and Associations with Substance Use among US Young Adults, 2016-2023.Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2026Article
- Executive Functioning as a Pathway Between Social Skills and Psychopathology: The Moderating Role of Autism Diagnosis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Age trends of internalizing and externalizing problems in children with neurofibromatosis type 1: a multicenter study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Less is more? A hybrid machine learning and psychometric approach to identifying clinically relevant psychopathology in Chinese youth using the Child Behaviour Checklist.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Associations Between Aspects of Diet and Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Children Aged 4 Years.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Design and effectiveness of a mother-child interaction educational intervention based on PRECEDE model for mothers of children aged 11-14 with behavioral problems.Journal of education and health promotion · 2026Article
- Parental sports support and emotional-behavioral problems in preschoolers: the chain mediating roles of exercise habits and parent-child relationships.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- A new perspective on the association between maternal folic acid supplementation across the perinatal period and cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children at age 4: findings from the MABC birth cohort study.European journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Testing gender differences in psychological adjustment among early adolescents though a multigroup analysis of latent profiles.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of the circle of security parenting program in reducing children's behavioral challenges and parental stress, anxiety, and depression in a Saudi Arabian sample.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Population-level transitions in observed difficulties through childhood and adolescence.Developmental psychology · 2025Article
- Developmental cascades linking executive functions with internalizing and externalizing problems in early childhood through early adolescence.Psychological medicine · 2025Article
- Children's Daily Living Routine Mediates the Relations Between Parent-Child Relationships and Child Adjustment Problems During School Suspension in Hong Kong.Child psychiatry and human development · 2025Article
- Mediating Effects of Executive Function on the Relationship between Sleep Problems and Emotional and Behavioral Problems among Preschoolers: Physical Activity as a Protective Factor.Child psychiatry and human development · 2025Article
- Early childhood measurement invariance of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire across age, race, sex, and socioeconomic status.Psychological assessment · 2025Article
- Association of maternal and paternal adverse childhood experiences with emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeA vast amount of studies suggest that internalizing or externalizing problems are related to individual functioning, and often co-occur. Yet, a focus on their additive and interactive effects is scarce. Furthermore, most research has focused on a limited number of developmental domains and mostly on maladaptive functioning. Therefore, the current prospective study examined whether early childhood (ages 4-8) internalizing and externalizing problems and their interaction were related to a broad range of (mal)adaptive functioning outcomes in emerging adulthood (ages 20-24).
methodsData from the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality and Development were used. At Time 1 (1999) mothers of 374 children (45% boys) and fathers of 357 children (46% boys) rated internalizing and externalizing problems through the Child Behavior Checklist. Outcomes in emerging adulthood were measured through self-reports 16 years later across the following domains: psychological functioning, social functioning, work, physical health, and self-concept.
resultsEarly externalizing problems were related to maladaptive outcomes on the psychological and social domains. With regard to adaptive functioning, externalizing problems were associated with lower satisfaction regarding general health on the physical domain. Early internalizing problems were not associated with any emerging adulthood outcomes. The interaction of (father reported) internalizing and externalizing problems was related to aggressive behavior.
conclusionEarly childhood externalizing problems were associated with maladaptive and adaptive functioning over a time span of 16 years. The results add to studies on the implementation of prevention and intervention programs in early childhood and to the value for developing personalized interventions.
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