Accuracy of Informants: Do Parents Think That Mother Knows Best?

A total of 200 mothers and fathers provided their opinions as to the accuracy of mothers, fathers, teachers, children's peers, and children themselves as informants of children's emotional/behavioral problems. The results showed that mothers and fathers had very similar patterns of perceptions of accuracy, although fathers' ratings showed less differentiation between informants than did mothers' ratings. Patterns were very similar for reports on children and adolescents. Overall, mothers were perceived to be more accurate in reporting internalizing problems; mothers and teachers (and fathers to a lesser extent) were perceived to be more accurate in reporting externalizing problems; mothers, fathers, and teachers were seen as more accurate in reporting children's adaptive behaviors, and mothers, fathers, and children were seen as more accurate in reporting family problems. The results are discussed in the context of multiple informants of children's and adolescents' emotional/behavioral problems.     

The Influence of Distress on Mothers' and Fathers' Reports of Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Problems

This study examined the effect of parental distress on mothers' and fathers' reports of children's emotional and behavioral problems. The subjects were the parents of 696 children aged 10 to 11 or 14 to 15 years living in two-parent families in the community. The study utilized an extended version of the model previously employed by Fergusson, Lynskey, and Horwood (1993) to examine the impact of maternal depression on mothers' reports of children's behavior. In the present study, the extended model was used to assess the impact of distress on reports of childhood externalizing and internalizing problems obtained from both mothers and fathers. The results suggested that distress had little influence on mothers' or fathers' reports of childhood behavior problems. It is concluded that in community studies the size of any bias in mothers' and fathers' reports of childhood behavior problems due to parental distress is likely to be very small and of little clinical significance.     

Adolescents', parents', and teachers' distress over adolescents' behavior

This study evaluated adolescents', parents', and teachers' self-reported distress and wishes to change adolescents' emotional/behavioral problems in a sample of clinically referred adolescents. Parents reported being bothered more than adolescents or teachers by adolescents' internalizing behavior. Both parents and teachers rated adolescents' externalizing behavior as more bothersome than did adolescents. Adolescents were significantly less likely to want to change their behavior than were parents or teachers. In addition, adolescents were significantly more likely to want to change their internalizing problems than their externalizing problems. For all three informants, being bothered by adolescents' behaviors was strongly associated with a desire to change the behaviors. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.The authors wish to thank John Iriye and Alisa Waldman for their invaluable help as research assistants.     

Parenting practices and internalizing and externalizing problems in Spanish adolescents

The goal of this study was to analyze the relationship between parenting practices and internalizing and externalizing problems presented by a group of adolescents according to their gender. Four hundred and sixty-nine secondary school students (aged between 12 and 18) participated in this study. The adolescents presented differences in perception of the educational practices of both parents as a function of their gender. Negative parenting practices were positively related to adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas positive practices were negatively related to externalizing problems. Moreover, differences between boys and girls were found in predictor variables of problems, and the predictive power of the variables was higher for externalizing problems.     

共情与青少年内外化问题的关系及影响机制

内外化问题是青少年最常见的心理行为问题,共情与青少年内外化问题具有重要联系,但以往研究青少年内外化问题的时候不注重共情不同成分的区分;即使区分了共情的不同成分,认知共情和情绪共情作为共情的不同成分和内外化问题的关系仍旧存在一定争议,且共情对内外化问题影响的机制鲜有探讨。本文首先综述了认知共情和情绪共情与青少年内外化问题的关系,并借助共情的发生过程（自我-他人模型）理论、发展过程（风险性发展模型）理论和相关神经生理因素,为理解共情对青少年内外化问题的影响机制提供了解释。未来研究可明确共情的定义,发展更生态化的测评方式,并进一步探索影响因素及机制,结合和关注个体特点、特殊群体及文化背景,以便为揭示共情与青少年内外化问题构建更系统的理论。     

The Impact of Maternal Depression and Parenting Behaviors on Adolescents' Psychological Functioning in Romania

We examined the impact of maternal depression and parenting behaviors on adolescents' psychological functioning in Romania. The direct and indirect links between maternal depression, maternal acceptance, behavioral control, psychological control and adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors were analyzed. The sample consisted of 239, 12–14 year-old adolescents and their mothers. Results indicated that higher maternal depression were associated with higher levels of psychological control and higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Higher levels of behavioral control were associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in adolescents.     

Are discrepancies among child,mother, and father reports on children's behavior related to parents' psychological symptoms and aspects of parent-child relationships?

Examined whether parents' symptoms and qualitative and quantitative aspects of parent–child relationships make unique contributions to mothers' and fathers' reports of, and mother–child, father–child, and father–mother discrepancies on, children's behavior. Participants were 100 children, aged 10–12, and their mothers and fathers. Parents' symptoms and parent–child relationships made unique contributions to both parents' ratings of externalizing behavior. Although parent–child relationship variables were related to both parents' ratings of internalizing behavior, only parents' symptoms made unique contributions. On mother–child and father–child discrepancies, differences emerged between mother and father, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Both fathers' and mothers' symptoms contributed to father–mother discrepancies on both behavior types, with parent–child relationships contributing unique variance to discrepancies on internalizing behavior. Results highlight the importance of each informant's symptoms and relationship variables in understanding informant discrepancies.     

父母心理控制与青少年冒险行为的非线性关系:自尊的调节作用

本研究旨在探讨父、母亲心理控制与青少年冒险行为是否存在非线性关系,以及是否受青少年自尊的调节。采用父母心理控制量表、自尊量表和青少年冒险行为量表对北京石景山区、山东省德州市和河北省邯郸市的四所普通中学七至九年级共2520名（男生1226人,女生1294人）学生进行调查。结果发现：青少年冒险行为与父亲心理控制呈U型曲线关系,而与母亲心理控制呈倒U型关系。调节效应分析发现,父、母亲心理控制与青少年冒险行为的非线性关系仅体现在中低等自尊青少年上,而高自尊青少年的冒险行为与父母心理控制无关。这表明,青少年自尊调节了父、母亲心理控制对其冒险行为的作用,父、母亲相同教养行为对中低等自尊青少年的冒险行为可能有不同的作用。     

The Peer Informant: Characteristics Related to the Perceptions of Peer Behavior Problems

Victimization and rejection by peers leads to and exacerbates behavior problems in children and adolescents. Given the implications of problematic peer relations for adolescents who experience behavior problems, the present study examined factors that may be related to how adolescents perceive peers who exhibit such problems. Specifically, the present study examined the relationship of adolescent informants’ socioeconomic status, their prior exposure to psychological symptoms, their perceived social acceptance, and their own behavior problems to their perceptions of peers’ internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, their liking and disliking of peers who exhibit such problems, and their attributions for the etiology of such problems when portrayed by fictitious peers of the same age. In particular, adolescents were asked to rate a set of vignettes portraying internalizing and externalizing behavior problems that are seen commonly in peers and to complete a set of brief questionnaires. Results revealed that adolescents were able to perceive the presence of both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in vignette characters. Additionally, vignette characters who did not exhibit behavior problems were most likely to be approached and liked, whereas those vignette characters who displayed externalizing behavior problems were more likely to be disliked and ignored. Finally, although adolescents endorsed both internal and external etiological factors, ratings were related to the sex of the depicted vignette character and the nature of the portrayed behavior problems. Overall, this study provided additional evidence that, although adolescents can serve as valuable informants, they also tended to be rejecting of peers who display behavior problems.     

Cross-informant consistency in externalizing and internalizing problems in early adolescence

The concept of cross-informant consistency has long been a topic of interest for those involved in assessment of behavior problems in adolescence. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and expand the existing literature by including four informants (mother, father, teacher, and adolescent self-report) and examining correlations among them as well as differences between reporters on an absolute level of both internalizing and externalizing problems. Fifty-two young adolescents (ranging in age from 11 to 15 years) and their mothers, fathers, and social studies teachers participated in the study. The Conduct Disorder subscale, Socialized Aggression subscale, and Anxiety/Withdrawal subscale of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist were used. Results indicated that teachers showed little agreement with other informants on conduct problems (teachers reporting fewer problems), while parents and adolescents showed significant agreement. Informants showed no agreement on the measure of covert problems (socialized aggression), and all reports showed agreement on internalizing problems (although teachers continued to report fewer problems). Implications for assessment of young adolescents are discussed.This research was supported, in part, by the William T. Grant Foundation and the University of Georgia's Institute for Behavior Research.     

Self-control,parenting, and problem behavior in early childhood: A multi-method,multi-informant study

BackgroundEarly childhood self-control and parenting are suggested to play key roles in the development of child problem behavior. The current study aims to 1) replicate earlier work by examining the unique and combined effects of child self-control and parenting on child problem behavior and 2) extend earlier work by including both mother and father reports.MethodsData were used from 107 Dutch families: mothers, fathers, and their two-year old child. Child self-control was measured using both father’s and mother’s reports of effortful control and with an observed behavioral task (i.e., gift-in-bag task). Similarly, parenting (i.e., emotional availability and discipline) and child problem behavior (i.e., externalizing and internalizing problems) were measured by using both father’s and mother’s reports.ResultsChild self-control reported by fathers and mothers, but not observed self-control, was related to fewer externalizing and (mother-reported) internalizing problems. Paternal emotional availability showed a modest association with fewer child externalizing problems, maternal emotional availability was related to fewer internalizing problems. Finally, there was an interaction between father- (but not mother) reported self-control and paternal emotional availability in the prediction of child internalizing problems. No main or interaction effect was revealed for discipline.ConclusionFindings confirm prior work on self-control, parenting, and child problem behavior. Most importantly however, the current study adds to the literature by highlighting the need for additional research including maternal as well as paternal data. Specifically, insight in the unique role of fathers may shed light on aspects of child adjustment not covered by mother reports alone.     

父母婚姻质量与儿童行为问题的追踪研究：儿童努力控制的调节作用

本研究采用母亲报告法,对474名学前儿童进行了为期一年的追踪研究,考察完整家庭中父母婚姻质量对儿童行为问题的影响,以及儿童努力控制的调节作用。结果表明:(1) 父母婚姻质量对学前儿童的外显和内隐行为问题均有即时的负向预测作用;(2) 儿童的努力控制对其当前、后期的外显和内隐行为问题均有负向预测作用;(3) 第一年儿童的努力控制对父母婚姻质量与儿童行为问题之间关系的调节作用成立。     

The Role of Parental and Adolescent Attributions in Adjustment of Adolescents with Chronic Illness

Previous literature has demonstrated the separate contributions of parental attributions and adolescent attributions to psychosocial adjustment of adolescents with chronic illness. However, it is unknown whether parental attributions affect adolescents' mental health directly or indirectly by influencing the youths' attributional style. This study evaluated the direct and indirect (through adolescent attributions) effects of parental attributions on internalizing and externalizing problems of adolescents with chronic illness. Adolescents (N?=?128; M?=?14.7?years) diagnosed with cystic fibrosis or diabetes and their caregivers completed measures of attributional style and adolescent adjustment. Parents' optimistic attributions were associated with fewer adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. These effects were partly mediated by adolescent attributions. These results suggest that targeting both adolescent and parent attributions may be important for improving adolescents' adjustment to a chronic illness.     

Modeling relations between hassles and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents: a four-year prospective study

This study examined the relations between hassles and internalizing and externalizing symptoms across 4 years in adolescents who varied with regard to their risk for psychopathology. The sample comprised 240 adolescents assessed in 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades regarding their level of peer and academic hassles and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to construct latent variables of hassles and internalizing and externalizing syndromes. Results varied by informant about the teens' symptoms. For adolescent report, the stress exposure model fit the data best for internalizing syndromes; that is, higher levels of stressors predicted significantly higher levels of self-reported symptoms 1 year later. For mother report of adolescents' symptoms, the stress generation model fit the data best for both internalizing and externalizing syndromes; that is, higher levels of adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as reported by their mothers, significantly predicted higher levels of hassles 1 year later.     

Relationships Among Paternal Involvement and Young Children's Perceived Self-Competence and Behavioral Problems

We examined the relationships of father involvement to young children's perceived self-competence and fathers' and mothers' perceptions of their children's internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. The results indicated that mothers in families in which father involvement is high may have a more positive outlook regarding their child's behavior than do mothers in families in which father involvement is low. Fathers who were highly involved indicated their children have more behavior problems than fathers who were not highly involved. High father involvement was associated with increased children's feelings of paternal acceptance, a factor that plays a role in the development of self-concept and esteem.     

Associations Between Fathers’ and Mothers’ Psychopathology Symptoms,Parental Emotion Socialization,and Preschoolers’ Social-Emotional Development

In this study we tested whether the relation between fathers’ and mothers’ psychopathology symptoms and child social-emotional development was mediated by parents’ use of emotion talk about negative emotions in a sample of 241 two-parent families. Parents’ internalizing and externalizing problems were measured with the Adult Self Report and parental emotion talk was observed while they discussed a picture book with their children (child age: 3 years). Children’s parent-reported internalizing and externalizing problems and observed prosocial behaviors were assessed at the age of 3 years and again 12 months later. We found that mothers’ use of emotion talk partially mediated the positive association between fathers’ internalizing problems and child internalizing problems. Fathers’ internalizing problems predicted more elaborative mother–child discussions about negative emotions, which in turn predicted more internalizing problems in children a year later. Mothers’ externalizing problems directly predicted more internalizing and externalizing problems in children. These findings emphasize the importance of examining the consequences of parental psychological difficulties for child development from a family-wide perspective.     

Dimensions and Correlates of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo

The present study examined Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) in relation to ADHD symptoms, clinical diagnosis, and multiple aspects of adjustment in a clinical sample. Parent and teacher reports were gathered for 322 children and adolescents evaluated for behavioral, emotional, and/or learning problems at a university clinic. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported the presence of three separate, but correlated factors (SCT, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity) in both parent and teacher ratings. As expected, SCT symptoms were greatest in youth with ADHD Inattentive type, but were also found in non-ADHD clinical groups. SCT symptoms were related to inattention, internalizing, and social problems across both parent and teacher informants; for parent reports, SCT was also related to more externalizing problems. Findings support the statistical validity of the SCT construct, but its clinical utility is still unclear.     

The effects of religious socialization and religious identity on psychosocial functioning in Korean American adolescents from immigrant families

This study examined religious identity as a mediator and moderator between religious socialization by parents, peers, and religious mentors and psychosocial functioning (i.e., social competence, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems) among 155 Korean American adolescents. Religious socialization by parents and peers were positively associated with adolescents' religious identity and social competence. Religious identity fully mediated the relationship between religious socialization by parents and social competence, and partially mediated the relationship between religious socialization by peers and social competence. A competing model with religious identity as a moderator found adolescents with low religious identity showed significantly more externalizing behavior problems when they received more religious socialization from parents.     

Problem Behaviors in Adolescence: The Opposite Role Played by Insecure Attachment and Commitment Strength

In this study we examined the relations between insecure attachment styles, commitment and behavioral problems, focusing on the unique and common contribution that avoidant and anxious styles and commitment made to internalizing and externalizing problems. 535 adolescents, 267 boys and 268 girls, aged from 16 to 18 years, completed self-report measures of attachment, identity and problem behaviors. The data showed that both internalizing and externalizing problems were positively related to insecure attachment styles and negatively to commitment. Results supported a unique contribution of both insecure styles to the prediction of internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas commitment negatively predicted only internalizing behaviors. The data supported a joint effect of avoidant attachment and commitment such that commitment contributed to moderate the display of internalizing and externalizing problems among avoidant adolescents.     

青少年早期内化问题的稳定性及其与母亲教养的关系

通过对502名11岁城市青少年为期2年的追踪调查,考察了青少年早期内化问题发展的稳定性及母亲教养对1年后青少年内化问题的预测.结果发现:(1)青少年早期的内化问题具有较高的稳定性,与男青少年相比,女青少年保持较高的内化问题水平;(2)母亲控制惩罚教养可以正向预测1年后男青少年的内化问题,母亲温情引导可以负向预测女青少年的内化问题.青少年先前的内化问题对母亲教养与其1年后内化问题之间关系的调节作用存在性别差异:对于先前内化问题水平较高的男青少年而言,母亲较高的温情引导和控制惩罚教养正向预测其1年后的内化问题;对于先前内化问题水平较高的女青少年而言,母亲较多的温情引导则负向预测其1年后的内化问题.