1-130 - Internalizing Symptoms in Young Children: Severity of Symptoms and Impairment, Risk Factors and Trajectories into School Age

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Internalizing symptoms and disorders are prevalent psychiatric complaints throughout the life span. From preschool age onwards, studies demonstrate that internalizing problems often exhibit stability or increase, and may inflict substantial impairment. Because developmental trajectories associated with early-emerging anxiety present targets for prevention and intervention, it is important to investigate risk factors predicting the development of internalizing symptoms. Yet, indices of internalizing problems may occur in typically developing young children; thus, it is crucial to differentiate normative behavior and impairing symptoms.
These three papers from large cohort studies conducted in three different countries focus on anxiety and depressive symptoms in young children using multiple levels of analysis to investigate impairment, development of symptoms, and predictors.
The first paper focuses on daily parent-reported frequencies of separation and social anxiety in 3-5-year-old children, and reports the variation in normative behaviors and associated impairment that may be relevant to the development of anxiety.
The second paper utilized a prospective longitudinal design to examine parenting stress as a risk factor for children’s development of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Parenting stress predicted increasing internalizing symptoms in children–above the effects of parental internalizing symptoms.
The final paper identified a trajectory class with stable high and clinically relevant symptoms from preschool to school age. This trajectory was associated with early stressful life events, maltreatment experiences and maternal psychopathology, and impairment at school age.
These studies emphasize the importance of assessing symptoms and impairment comprehensively, as well as early risk factors which might be targets for early prevention/intervention.

Sub Unit

• Developmental Psychopathology

Chair

• Annette M Klein, University of Leipzig

Discussant

• Jody Todd Manly, University of Rochester

Individual Presentations

• Frequency and Severity of Daily Anxiety Behaviors and Associated Impairment in Preschool-Aged Children - Presenting Author: Sara J. Bufferd, California State University San Marcos; Lea R. Dougherty, University of Maryland, College Park; Thomas M. Olino, Temple University

• Parental Stress and Children’s Development of Anxiety and Depression in Early Childhood - Presenting Author: Kristine Rensvik Viddal, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Ida M. Bruheim, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Havard Karlsen, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Trude Reinfjell, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Lars Wichstrøm, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and NTNU Social Science

• Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms from Preschool to School Age, Predictors and Outcome - Presenting Author: Annette M Klein, University of Leipzig; Andrea Michel, University of Jena; Yvonne Otto, University of Leipzig, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics; Lars O. White, University of Leipzig; Anna Andreas, University of Leipzig, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics; Susan Sierau, University of Leipzig; Kai von Klitzing, University of Leipzig