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Predicting adult emotional and behavioral problems from externalizing problem trajectories in a 24-year longitudinal
Joni Reef1, Sofia Diamantopoulou, Inge van Meurs
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O.Box 2060, 3000 CB, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. J.Reef@erasmusmc.nl
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
|February 9, 2010
Summary
Childhood externalizing behaviors, like aggression and opposition, predict adult problems. High levels of these behaviors, regardless of change, are linked to adult internalizing and externalizing issues.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Externalizing behaviors in childhood are linked to later life difficulties.
- The long-term psychiatric outcomes of childhood externalizing behavior trajectories remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive relationship between childhood externalizing behavior trajectories and adult psychiatric outcomes.
- To analyze how different types of externalizing behaviors (aggression, opposition, property, status violations) predict adult problems.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal population-based study of 2,076 children over 24 years.
- Latent class growth analysis to determine developmental trajectories of four externalizing behaviors (ages 4-18).
- Regression analyses to associate childhood trajectories with adult psychiatric problems (Adult Self-Report).
Main Results:
- Childhood externalizing behavior trajectories significantly predict adult intrusive, aggressive, and rule-breaking behaviors.
- Non-destructive childhood behaviors (opposition, status violations) were stronger predictors of adult problems than destructive behaviors (aggression, property violations).
- High-level externalizing behavior trajectories in childhood consistently predicted both internalizing and externalizing problems in adulthood, irrespective of trajectory change.
Conclusions:
- The overall level of externalizing behavior problems in childhood, rather than its developmental change, is a key determinant of adult psychiatric outcomes.
- Early identification and intervention for high-level externalizing behaviors are crucial for mitigating long-term adult psychological difficulties.
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