Caregiver-Perceived Economic Pressure and Youth Anxiety and Conduct Problems: The Role of Youth Inhibition

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Caregiver-perceived economic pressure (EP) is related to youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms, particularly in low-income, urban communities. Previous research primarily has investigated EP in combination with family dynamics (Mistry et al., 2002); however, it is not clear whether child-specific factors moderate this relation, which may expand potential intervention targets. One potential moderator is youth inhibition, which refers to the ability to resist impulses and stop one’s own behavior at the appropriate time. Given typical avoidance patterns of inhibited youth which may protect them from approach-oriented behaviors like aggression or delinquency, we expect greater inhibitory control to be associated with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; van Brakel et al., 2006), and problems with inhibition to be associated with symptoms of conduct disorder (CD; Frick, 2006). We tested whether problems with inhibition among youth moderated the relation between caregiver-perceived EP and GAD or CD symptoms among 104 low-income, urban youth (M = 9.92 ± 1.22 years; 50.5% male; 95% African American). Caregivers reported on (a) their EP by completing a questionnaire about their degree of difficulty affording various needs and activities, and (b) youth’s inhibition abilities using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Youth completed the Youth’s Inventory-4 and their teachers completed the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4 to assess youth GAD and CD symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with GAD or CD symptoms as dependent variables, and child sex, age, EP, inhibition, and the EP × inhibition interaction term as predictors. Significant interaction terms were post-hoc probed (Holmbeck, 2002). The EP × inhibition interaction term predicted self-reported GAD (β = .25, p = .024) and teacher-reported CD (β = -.29, p = .006) symptoms, but not teacher-reported GAD (β = -.11, p = .365) or self-reported CD (β = .09, p = .396) symptoms. For self-reported GAD symptoms, post-hoc probing revealed a significant slope for youth with high (B = 2.51, p = .002), but not low (B = -0.28, p =.732), EP. For teacher-reported CD symptoms, post-hoc probing revealed a significant slope for youth with low (B = 4.25, p < .001), but not high (B = 0.92, p =.284), EP. Thus, among youth in households with low EP (and thus greater resources), (a) higher levels of inhibition problems were associated with teacher-reported CD symptoms, and (b) levels of self-reported GAD were similar regardless of inhibition. Among youth reporting high EP (and thus fewer resources), (a) higher levels of inhibition problems were associated with self-reported GAD symptoms, and (b) levels of teacher-reported CD symptoms were similar regardless of inhibition. Results suggest that inhibition problems confer risk for both CD and GAD among low-income, urban youth. Future research that evaluates multi-informant assessment tools and interventions targeting inhibitory control among low-income, urban youth (e.g., attention control training; Sari et al., 2016) could be useful for mitigating risk for GAD and CD symptoms and associated sequelae, though symptom presentations may be dependent on level of family EP.

Authors

• Rafaella Jakubovic, Temple University
  Presenting Author

• Faylyn B. Kalchthaler, Temple University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Deborah A. G. Drabick, Temple University
  Non-Presenting Author