The Role of Anxiety/Depression in the Development of Youth High Risk Behaviors: An Examination of Two Competing Hypotheses in a Sample of African-American, Single Mother Families

• Published in: Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment 2009-12, Vol.31 (4), p.340-346
• Main Authors: Garai, Emily P., Forehand, Rex, Colletti, Christina J. M., Rakow, Aaron
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Anxiety; Anxiety-Depression; Behavior disorders; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Black American people; Child psychology; Clinical Psychology; Externalizing problems; Mental depression; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology; Risk behaviour; Single mothers; Single parents; Young people
• ISSN: 0882-2689; 1573-3505
• DOI: 10.1007/s10862-008-9120-2

The role of anxiety/depression in the progression of youth externalizing problems to future high risk behaviors has been disputed in the literature. Mixed support exists for a multiple problem hypothesis (i.e., co-occurring anxiety/depression leads to more high risk behaviors) and a protective hypothesis (i.e., anxiety/depression buffers this progression). The present study compared these two hypotheses in a sample of 124 African-American single mother families by examining mother report of externalizing problems and anxiety/depression at an initial timepoint and youth report of high risk behaviors fifteen months later. Results support the multiple problem hypothesis: In the context of high levels of externalizing problems, high levels of anxiety/depression were associated with more youth engaging in high risk behavior across the 15 month follow-up than were low levels of anxiety/depression. The findings suggest it is important to consider multiple domains of youth problem behaviors to conceptualize and prevent high risk behaviors.