Publication year
2020
Citation Title
Demographic and socioeconomic predictors of behavioral trajectories from age 3 to 15: A longitudinal mixed effects approach.
Journal Name
Journal of Child and Family Studies
Journal Volume
29
Page Numbers
1818-1832
DOI
10.1007/s10826-020-01710-8
Summary
Behavior trajectories of youth are influenced by a range of demographic and socioeconomic factors. This study investigated the influences of demographic factors (e.g., gender) and socioeconomic status (e.g., income) on externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression) and internalizing behaviors (e.g., anxiety/depression) from early childhood to adolescence. The findings indicate that patterns of behavior problems vary by various socioeconomic and demographic factors like age, gender, race, and home environment.
Key Findings
At 3 years old, male participants showed more externalizing behaviors than female participants. However, these differences were not sustained by 15 years old.
Internalizing behaviors decreased from 3 to 15 years old. However, the decline in internalizing behaviors was faster for males than females.
Youth from higher quality interior home environments (e.g., adequate lighting) exhibited fewer behavior problems. The exterior home environment (e.g., broken windows around the block) was not related to youth's behavior problem.
Implications for Military Professionals
Attend trainings to enhance skills and learn new strategies to work effectively with youth who are at risk for externalizing behavior
Develop curricula that focus on strengthening peer relationships among youth at risk of behavior problems
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer workshops to help families with early identification and management of problem behaviors
Host classes for parents about the importance of the home environment on youth problem behavior
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage the development of programs aimed to promote resilience in financially disadvantaged families
Support research that investigates methods to reduce externalizing and internalizing behaviors among youth
Methods
Data were obtained from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, which followed American children born from 1998–2000 from 20 large cities.
Child and parent demographics and socioeconomic status were taken at baseline and at each follow-up interview. Child internalizing and externalizing behaviors were measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Home environment was measured from interviewer observation using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scale.
Data were analyzed to compare key demographic characteristics of males and females at different ages. Additional analysis was done to predict if internalizing and externalizing behavior varied by certain demographic factors.
Participants
This study included 1,090 participants from 3 to 15 years old (546 males and 544 females).
Of the males, 22.71% were White, 46.71% were Black, 26.37% were Hispanic, and 4.21% did not specify their race. Of the females, 20.22% were White, 48.35% were Black, 27.76% were Latino, and 3.67% did not specify their race.
The average household income when children were 3 years old was $35,388.51 (SD=36,631.05). By 15 years old, the average household income was $60,738.83 (SD=60,423.68).
Limitations
The sample only consisted of families from cities; therefore, caution must be taken to generalize the results to families from suburban or rural areas.
Primary caregivers' reports of child behavior may have been influenced by attempts to minimize problematic behaviors and not accurately reflect their child’s behavior.
Data were only collected at specific time points (3, 5, 9, and 15 years) rather than every year resulting in missing information related to year-to-year behavior changes which may have impacted results.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine how peer relationships and social media usage may be associated with youth behavioral issues
Investigate effectiveness of prevention programs for problem behavior among socioeconomically disadvantaged youth in rural and suburban communities
Explore intervention strategies that can be used in youth programs for youth struggling with externalizing and internalizing behaviors
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Socioeconomically disadvantaged children face elevated risk for behavior problems. Greater understanding of the relationships between a range of socioeconomic factors and behavioral trajectories across childhood is needed to improve prevention efforts. The present study leveraged a large longitudinal survey to examine how gender, race, household socioeconomic status, and home environment influence behavior from early childhood to adolescence. Multivariate imputation by chained equations maximized available data across 12 years. Linear mixed effects models compared behavioral trajectories by gender, as well as the longitudinal effects of socioeconomic status on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems accounting for within- and between-child differences from age 3 to 15. Results indicated declines in both internalizing and externalizing scores over time. On average, boys displayed higher initial scores, but more rapid declines; by age 15, boys scored substantially lower than girls on internalizing problems, while externalizing scores were similar for both genders. Household income (βInternalizing = −0.02; βExternalizing = −0.01) and higher quality interior home environment (βInternalizing = −0.43; βExternalizing = −0.60) both protected against behavioral problems while perceived material hardship and exterior home environment had no effects. Gender moderated the effects of race and the interior environment on externalizing problems. Findings suggest unique developmental trajectories by gender whereby girls display more persistent internalizing problems and African American boys face highest risk for externalizing problems. Children in socioeconomically disadvantaged families face elevated risk for behavior problems, but the home environment remains an opportunity for prevention.
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