INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS AND THEIR RELATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS IN ADOLESCENCE

The study focused on the intersection between internalizing and disruptive behavior problems. Subjects were 890 inner-city boys who were enrolled in the fourth and seventh grades of public schools. The boys were followed up with six assessments over the course of 3 years. Based on earlier research, three developmental pathways toward serious disruptive behavior were considered: an overt pathway, a covert pathway, and an authority conflict pathway. The pathways had been formulated on the basis of the sequence of onset of different manifestations of disruptive child behavior as reported by the child and/or his parent. Three forms of internalizing behaviors were the focus of the study: stable depressed mood, stable anxiety, and stable withdrawal. Boys with stable internalizing problems were defined as those who scored high on such a problem during 2 of the 3 years of the study. Results demonstrated that internalizing problems were more associated with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder than with a diagnosis of Conduct Disorder. In early adolescence, stable depressed mood occurred more often when boys advanced in either the overt or the covert pathways or when they were involved in multiple, rather than single, pathways. In late adolescence, stable anxiety and stable withdrawal were more common in multiple than in the single pathways. The importance of the interaction between internalizing and disruptive child behaviors is stressed.