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Internalizing-Externalizing Comorbidity and Impaired Functioning in Children

Megan Dol1, Madeline Reed1, Mark A Ferro1

  • 1School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children with internalizing-externalizing comorbidity often experience worse functioning. This highlights the need for tailored mental health care to improve outcomes for these youth.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Mental Health Research
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Comorbidity of mental illnesses is prevalent in child and adolescent psychiatry.
  • Internalizing-externalizing comorbidity is linked to poorer health outcomes compared to single diagnoses.
  • Understanding functioning in comorbid cases can enhance mental health care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between internalizing-externalizing comorbidity and impaired functioning in children receiving mental health services.
  • To explore how co-occurring internalizing and externalizing disorders impact a child's daily life.
  • To provide data for improving clinical decision-making for children with complex mental health needs.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional clinical sample of 100 children (aged 4-17) with mental illness.
  • Mental illnesses assessed via Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID).
  • Functioning measured using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0; linear regression analysis performed.

Main Results:

  • Internalizing-externalizing comorbidity was significantly associated with worse functioning (β = 0.32, p = 0.041).
  • Parental psychological distress (β = 0.01, p = 0.004) and distance to hospital (β = 0.38, p = 0.049) also correlated with poorer child functioning.
  • Findings indicate a link between comorbid conditions and functional impairment in pediatric mental health patients.

Conclusions:

  • Clinicians should recognize that internalizing-externalizing comorbidity can worsen functioning, impacting daily activities.
  • This understanding is crucial for informed treatment planning and care decisions.
  • Further research with larger, diverse samples is recommended due to the study's exploratory nature.
Abstract

Keywords:
adolescentchilddisabilitypsychiatric disorder

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