The Structure of Internalizing Disorders in Middle Childhood and Evidence for Personality Correlates

The current multi-method multi-informant investigation compared the fit of three competing models of internalizing problems in middle childhood: (1) a unitary factor model, (2) a two-factor model corresponding to the DSM-IV Anxiety/Depression distinction, and (3) a two-factor model corresponding to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment 2012-03, Vol.34 (1), p.22-34
Main Authors: Kushner, Shauna C., Tackett, Jennifer L., Bagby, R. Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety-Depression
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Child psychology
Childhood
Clinical Psychology
Internalizing behaviour
Personality
Personality and Social Psychology
Personality disorders
Personality traits
Psychological distress
Psychology
Psychopathology
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Summary:The current multi-method multi-informant investigation compared the fit of three competing models of internalizing problems in middle childhood: (1) a unitary factor model, (2) a two-factor model corresponding to the DSM-IV Anxiety/Depression distinction, and (3) a two-factor model corresponding to the Fear/Distress distinction observed in structural studies of adult psychopathology (Krueger Archives of General Psychiatry, 56:921-926, 1999 ); Slade and Watson Psychological Medicine, 36:1593-1600, 2006 ). In total, 346 youths (mean age = 9.51, SD = .78) and their adult caregivers (344 mothers, 227 fathers) reported on childhood internalizing symptoms and personality traits. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed adequate to good fit indices for all three models, although the unitary factor model provided the most parsimonious summary of the data. Although the structural analyses suggested that internalizing symptom subfactors were not clearly differentiated in middle childhood, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that personality dimensions uniquely predicted the Anxiety/Fear and Depression/Distress disorders. These results suggest that personality correlates differentiate childhood psychopathology structure before it is manifest at the symptom level.
ISSN:0882-2689
1573-3505
DOI:10.1007/s10862-011-9263-4