Developmental Pathways Among Adaptive Functioning and Externalizing and Internalizing Behavioral Problems: Cascades From Childhood Into Adolescence

Abstract

Here, a 3-wave multivariate design and developmental cascade analysis were used to investigate pathways among adaptive functioning and externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems in a community sample of 134 children seen at 4, 10, and 14 years. Adaptive functioning in early adolescence was predicted by early childhood adaptive functioning and externalizing behavioral problems, with both effects mediated by late childhood adaptive functioning and internalizing behavioral problems; externalizing behavioral problems in early adolescence were predicted by early childhood internalizing behavioral problems with the effect mediated by late childhood externalizing behavioral problems. These developmental cascades were obtained independent of child intelligence. Strategically timed and targeted interventions designed to address young children's behavioral problems may return investment in terms of an enhanced epidemiology of adaptively functioning teens.

Acknowledgments

We thank A. Bradley and P. Horn. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, NICHD. Human subject treatment in this study complied with the ethical standards defined by the American Psychological Association.

Notes

Note. VABS = Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales; TRF = Teacher Report Form; PBQ = Preschool Behavior Questionnaire; CBCL = Child Behavior Checklist; YSR = Youth Self-Report; SDS-SF = Social Desirability Scale, Short Form; HI = Hollingshead Index; WPPSI-R = Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised; WISC III = Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 3rd Edition.

Note. Numbers shown on the diagonal are variances. All variables were scaled by constants so that variables' variances were all approximately equal.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p ≤ .001.