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BACKGROUND: Previous meta-analyses considering associations between parental depression (PD) and child symptoms have considered PD based primarily on self-report of depression symptoms. The present meta-analysis, in contrast, evaluated the effect of parents' clinically-diagnosed depressive disorders (PDD) on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms and considered both family- and study-level variables that influenced the strength of these effects. METHODS: We examined 111 effect sizes nested in 40 studies including a clinical assessment of parents' major or persistent depressive disorder and measures of children's internalizing or externalizing behaviors published between 2000 and 2020. We used a multi-level meta-analytic framework to account for nesting of multiple effect sizes within studies. RESULTS: PDD was associated with children's internalizing (weighted mean r = 0.211) and externalizing (weighted mean r = 0.204) behaviors. Family- and study-level variables moderated these relations, including the inclusion of fathers in the sample, the specific measure of internalizing behavior, reporting of diagnostic reliability, and informant for problem behaviors. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include exclusive consideration of internalizing and externalizing symptoms (versus other symptom types or problems) and the limited number of father-only studies from which to base conclusions about the relative effect of maternal vs. paternal depression. CONCLUSIONS: The similarity between the current findings and previous meta-analyses suggests that researchers studying the effects of PD may be able to bypass more exhaustive clinical interviews for less burdensome depression symptom inventories. Furthermore, our findings suggest that researchers and clinicians should consider how PD impacts not just child depressive symptoms, but myriad problem behaviors.

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BACKGROUND: Preterm and/or low birthweight (PT/LBW) is predictive of a range of adverse adult outcomes, including lower employment, educational attainment, and mental wellbeing, and higher welfare receipt. Existing studies, however, on PT/LBW and adult psychosocial risks are often limited by low statistical power. Studies also fail to examine potential child or adolescent pathways leading to later adult adversity. Using a life course framework, we examine how adolescent problem behaviors may moderate the association between PT/LBW and a multidimensional measure of life success at age 30 to potentially address these limitations. METHODS: We analyze 2044 respondents from a Brisbane, Australia cohort followed from birth in1981-1984 through age 30. We examine moderation patterns using obstetric birth outcomes for weight and gestation, measures of problem behaviors from the Child Behavioral Checklist at age 14, and measures of educational attainment and life success at 30 using multivariable normal and ordered logistic regression. RESULTS: Associations between PT/LBW and life success was found to be moderated by adolescent problem behaviors in six scales, including CBCL internalizing, externalizing, and total problems (all p < 0.01). In comparison, associations between LBW and educational attainment illustrate how a single-dimensional measure may yield null results. CONCLUSION: For PT/LBW, adolescent problem behaviors increase risk of lower life success at age 30. Compared to analysis of singular outcomes, the incorporation of multidimensional measures of adult wellbeing, paired with identification of risk and protective factors for adult life success as children develop over the lifespan, may further advance existing research and interventions for PT/LBW children.

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We investigated the association between computer and mobile phone online activities and adolescents' problem behaviors (e.g., depressive symptoms, withdrawal, somatic complaints, attention deficit, and aggression) using data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey and latent growth model analysis. The results demonstrated that text-related activities lowered withdrawal and attention deficit. Higher use of online communities or personal websites was associated with higher depressive symptoms, withdrawal, somatic symptoms, and aggression. Online gaming increased both attention deficit' initial value and its decrease rate. Taking photos decreased withdrawal. Watching videos increased depressive symptoms, withdrawal, and attention deficit. Listening to music lowered attention deficit' initial value and somatic symptoms' decrease rate. Accessing adult websites increased attention deficit and aggression. Educational information searches reduced attention deficit and aggression. Online transactions increased somatic symptoms. This study indicates that adolescents' problem behaviors may appear differently depending on the type of information technology use.

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Purpose: With the development of information technology and various social media, recommendation algorithms have increasingly more influence on users' social media usage. To date, there has been limited research focused on analyzing the impact of recommendation algorithms on social media use and their corresponding role in the development of problematic behaviors. The present study analyzes the impact of recommendation algorithms on college students' information sharing and internalizing, externalizing problem behaviors to address the aforementioned shortcomings. Methods: An online questionnaire survey was conducted among 34,752 college students in China. A latent profile analysis was conducted to explore the various behavioral patterns of Chinese college students' information sharing across the three social media platforms identified for this study. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) method Regression Mixture Modeling was then used to analyze the differences in internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors among the different subgroups of Chinese college students. Results: The level of information sharing by college students across different social media platforms could be divided into "WeChat Moments low-frequency information sharing", "middle-frequency comprehensive information sharing", "TikTok high-frequency information sharing", and "Sina Weibo high-frequency information sharing". Significant differences were observed regarding internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors among college students in different information-sharing subgroups. Conclusion: This study identified four subgroups with different information-sharing characteristics using latent profile analysis. Among them, college students who are in subgroup of social media information sharing influenced by recommendation algorithms exhibit higher frequency of information sharing and higher level of internalizing and externalizing problematic behaviors. These results expand our understanding of college students' social media usage and problem behaviors from a technological perspective. In future, the negative impacts of recommendation algorithms on college students can be reduced by improving their awareness of these algorithms and optimizing the algorithms themselves.

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Purpose: This study, grounded in Social Information Processing Theory, integrates emotional warmth and harsh discipline into a unified model to investigate their differential effects on adolescents' internalized and externalized problem behaviors, as well as to explore the potential divergences in the mediating role of inhibitory control. Patients and Methods: Four hundred and twenty-eight adolescents completed validated scales of Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran (EMBU), Inhibitory Control and The Youth Self-Report (YSR), Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus7.4 to examine the relationship between harsh parental discipline, emotional warmth, adolescent inhibitory control, and internalized and externalized problem behaviors and the mediating effects. Results: The present study revealed that (1) Harsh parental discipline negatively predicted both internalized and externalized problems in adolescents, while emotional warmth from fathers positively predicted internalized problem behaviors; (2) Inhibitory control acted as a mediator in the impact of harsh parental discipline on problem behaviors, while the mediating effect between paternal emotional warmth and internalization issues was not significant. Conclusion: The impact of emotional warmth and harsh discipline on adolescent internalized and externalized problems varied. In families practicing a mixed parenting style, harsh discipline had a more significant effect on adolescents, primarily mediated through inhibitory control.

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This study examines the degree to which two middle childhood executive control aspects, working memory and combined inhibitory control/flexible shifting, predict adolescent substance use and externalizing and internalizing problems. Participants were 301 children (ages 3-6 years; 48.2% male) recruited from a Midwestern city in the United States and followed into adolescence (ages 14-18 years). Working memory had a statistically significant unadjusted association with externalizing problems (r = -.30, p = .003) in a confirmatory factor analysis. Neither factor significantly predicted any of the adolescent outcomes in a structural equation model that adjusted for each EC aspect, sociodemographic covariates, and middle childhood externalizing and internalizing problems. Stronger prediction of EC aspects might not emerge until they become more fully differentiated later in development.

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Introduction: Problem behaviors in preschoolers signals social adjustment challenges. This study investigates the mediating role of parenting stress in the relationship between co-parenting and these behaviors, and examines how family resilience impacts this dynamic. Methods: A detailed survey was conducted with 1279 mothers of 3-6-year-olds in Shanghai, China, focusing on co-parenting, family resilience, parenting stress, and children's behaviors. We employed SPSS 26 for initial tests and the Hayes PROCESS macro in SPSS 23.0 for advanced analysis, using bootstrap methods to assess mediation and moderation effects. Results: The analysis revealed that maternal parenting stress mediates the relationship between co-parenting and children's problem behaviors. Specifically, unsupportive co-parenting or low levels of supportive co-parenting heightened maternal stress, which in turn increased children's problem behaviors. Family resilience was found to moderate this relationship, buffering the impact of unsupportive co-parenting on maternal stress. High family resilience levels were associated with lower parenting stress, regardless of co-parenting quality. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of enhancing family resilience and supportive co-parenting to mitigate parenting stress and reduce problem behaviors in children. It has practical implications for developing family-centred interventions and policies to strengthen family resilience and co-parenting skills.

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Objective: The family environment has a significant impact on the psychological and behavioral development of children, especially those who are left behind in preschool and experience parent-child separation at a young age. These children face a greater risk of family dysfunction, which can lead to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. While numerous studies have established a connection between family functioning and problem behaviors, few have explored the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship. Our study seeks to address this gap by examining how emotion regulation and psychological resilience mediate the link between family functioning and problem behavior. Methods: The sample consisted of 940 preschool children (51.5% male, 48.5% female) with a mean age of 5.07 ± 0.80. The main guardians of the children were given the Family Assessment Device, Preschool Children's Emotion Regulation Scale, the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers (2nd edition), and the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales to assess their family functioning, emotion regulation, psychological resilience, and problem behavior respectively. Results: Lower family functioning was associated with more severe problem behaviors in preschool left-behind children, and emotion regulation and psychological resilience partially mediated the relationship between family functioning and problem behaviors, respectively. In addition, emotion regulation and psychological resilience were also chain mediators between family functioning and problem behaviors. Conclusion: The study's findings highlighted the crucial role of emotional regulation and psychological resilience in the correlation between family functioning and problem behaviors. It is recommended that policymakers and educators place a high priority on the cultivation of internal psychological resources, such as emotional regulation and resilience, in preschool-aged children when designing interventions to address problem behaviors.

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A positive child-teacher relationship is a crucial means of addressing problem behaviors in young children. In recent years, there has been an increase in factors triggering problem behaviors in young children. It is particularly important to employ universally applicable and scientifically effective strategies to improve child behavior. Banking Time, as an emerging variant of play therapy, aims to enhance child behavior by establishing an intimate child-teacher relationship. This study conducted a multiple-baseline experiment involving eight four-year-old children and their teachers from China, exploring the effectiveness of Banking Time in enhancing child-teacher relationships and subsequently improving child behavior from dual perspectives, utilizing tools such as the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale and Conners' Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales-Teacher Assessment Report. Visual analysis and statistical analysis results indicate a strong positive impact of Banking Time on child-teacher relationships and a slight inhibitory effect on child problem behaviors. The implementation of Banking Time provides valuable insights into specific paths and strategies for promoting teachers' professional development.

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Objective: To examine the mediating role of empathy and emotional competence in the association between family functioning and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors among adolescents in China. Methods: In this study, we used the data from the June-July 2022 survey of Chengdu Positive Child Development (CPCD) cohort. All respondents were 5th-9th graders from six primary or secondary schools in Chengdu. The Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI), the empathy subscale of the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (C-IRI), and the emotional competence (EC) subscale of the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale (CPYD) were used to evaluate the respondents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, family functioning, empathy, and emotional competence, respectively. The average score derived from the total score of a scale divided by the number of entries in each dimension was used as the final score of the scale. Independent samples t-tests or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed to examine the differences in family functioning, empathy, emotional competence, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors across student groups with different demographic characteristics (sex, grade, and region). Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between family functioning, empathy, emotional competence, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. AMOS 24.0 was used to validate the hypothesized model and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating effects of empathy and emotional competence between family functioning and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors among adolescents. Results: A total of 3026 eligible participants were included, including 1548 (51.16%) male students and 1478 (48.84%) female students. Among the respondents, 798 (26.37%) were 5th graders, 738 (24.39%) were 6th graders, 567 (18.74%) were 7th graders, 614 (20.29%) were 8th graders, and 309 (10.21%) were 9th graders. In addition, 2064 (68.21%) of all respondents were from urban areas and 962 (31.79%) were from rural areas. The results of the difference analysis showed that the differences in adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were statistically significant between students of different grades (P=0.004), and that the differences in family functioning and empathy scores were also statistically significant between students of different grades (all P<0.001), whereas the differences in adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were not statistically significant between sexes and regions (P=0.919, 0.959). The results of correlation analysis showed that family functioning scores (the higher the score, the worse the family functioning) were significantly negatively correlated with empathy and emotional competence (r=-0.482, -0.432, P<0.01), and significantly positively correlated with internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors (r=0.220, P<0.01). Empathy was significantly positively correlated with emotional competence (r=0.402, P<0.01). Empathy and emotional competence were significantly negatively correlated with all the dimensions of internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors (r=-0.115, -0.305, P<0.01). Emotional competence partially mediated the relationship between family functioning and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, with a mediation effect value being 0.042 (95% [confidence interval] CI: 0.031-0.057). Empathy and emotional competence had chain mediation effect between family functioning and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, with the value of the mediation effect being 0.010 (95% CI: 0.007-0.014). Conclusion: Family functioning influences adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in a direct way and through the chain-mediating roles of empathy and emotional competence.

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Objective: With the social changes, a growing number of women have joined the workforce, leading to a shift in the traditional roles of child-rearing. There has been a growing focus on the significance of fathers' roles in child development, particularly the influence of fathers on children's problematic behaviors, making it an increasingly prominent issue. However, there is limited understanding regarding the potential mechanisms through which fathers may exert influence on children's problem behaviors. To address this gap, this study sought to investigate the link between paternal co-parenting and preschool children's problem behaviors, and the mediating effects of maternal parenting burnout and psychological aggression. Methods: This study used the Personal Information Form and four scales to administer questionnaires to 1164 mothers of preschool children (Mage = 4.26 ± 0.85) in Guangdong Province, China. The collected data underwent processing and analysis using SPSS 22.0. Results: Paternal co-parenting demonstrated a significantly positive correlation with problem behaviors among preschool children. The impact of paternal co-parenting on children's problem behaviors was mediated by maternal parenting burnout, maternal psychological aggression, and the combined effect of maternal parenting burnout and psychological aggression. Conclusion: Maternal parenting burnout and maternal psychological aggression play a sequential mediating role between paternal co-parenting and problem behaviors among preschool children. This study revealed the internal mechanism through which paternal co-parenting influenced problem behaviors exhibited by children. It provides some evidence to support the important role of fathers in child development, and provides a reference for policymakers and educators to develop interventions for children's problem behaviors.

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Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often encounter unique challenges when attempting to understand their children's challenging behaviors such as self-injury, aggression, noncompliance, and stereotypies. In this study, we aimed to analyze and clarify the definition of challenging behaviors in individuals with ASD, identify the variables associated with challenging behaviors, and determine the function of these behaviors. Systematic observation and data collection are crucial to understand the functions of specific behaviors exhibited by individuals with ASD based on their antecedents and consequences. Knowledge regarding these will enable clinicians to develop and implement effective interventions. Additionally, the treatment approach should aim for generalization to improve the quality of lives of both children with ASD and their caregivers.

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Adolescents need supportive social institutions to help them deal effectively with the demands of pubertal changes accompanied by new social roles, reducing their susceptibility to problem behaviors. Considering this, it will be investigated how internalizing problem behaviors in teenagers is affected by the interaction between pubertal timing and perceived parental attachment. For this, cross-sectional data from 772 adolescents with ages ranging from 11 to 15 years old was used. Regression analyses showed early maturing adolescents with insecure perceived parental attachments had higher levels of depression and anxiety than their early, on-time, and late maturing counterparts with secure perceived parental attachments. This finding supports the contextual amplification model, as the detrimental consequences of early maturation are impacted by difficult parent-adolescent relationships.

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Purpose: The mediating effects of maternal anxiety and moderating effects of trait mindfulness on the relationship between Work-family conflict (WFC) and preschool children's problem behaviors remain unclear during the COVID-19 epidemic. So, this study examined the association between mothers' WFC and preschoolers' problem behaviors and identified the roles of maternal anxiety as a mediator and trait mindfulness as a moderator during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 1,068 Chinese preschoolers and their mothers from coastal cities in southern China were investigated. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires, Carlson's WFC scale, Ma's Parenting Anxiety Scale, Goodman's SDQ Scale, and Brown and Ryan's Trait Mindfulness Scale, and were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and Process 3.3. Results: WFC had a positive and direct association with problem behaviors in preschoolers (ß = 0.118, t = 3.880, p < 0.001). WFC also had a positive and direct association with maternal anxiety (ß = 0.480, t = 18.034, p < 0.001). Maternal anxiety had a positive and direct association with preschoolers' problem behaviors (ß = 0.415, t = 13.584, p < 0.001). The mediating effect value of maternal anxiety between WFC and preschoolers' problem behaviors was 0.199, and the moderating effect value of trait mindfulness between maternal anxiety and preschoolers' problem behaviors was -0.078. Conclusion: WFC was positively associated with preschoolers' problem behaviors, and maternal anxiety was a mediator of this association. So, WFC could cause maternal anxiety and lead to more problematic behaviors in children. Besides, maternal anxiety was positively associated with preschoolers' problem behaviors, and trait mindfulness was a moderator of this association.

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The primary objective of this study is to present a fresh perspective on the correlation between teacher-student relationships and externalizing problem behaviors among adolescents. While previous research has examined this connection, there is still an insufficient understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, the crucial role of peer relationships, mental health, and parental knowledge has been overlooked. In this study, a total of 6,919 Chinese rural adolescents aged 13-19 years participated by completing an anonymous self-report questionnaire. The results show that: (1) teacher-student relationship has a protective effect against the development of externalizing problem behaviors; (2) peer relationship and mental health both have a mediating role in the relationship between teacher-student relationship and externalizing problem behaviors; (3) teacher-student relationship can indirectly affect externalizing problem behaviors through the chain mediation of peer relationship and mental health; (4) parental knowledge plays a moderating role between the teacher-student relationship and externalizing problem behaviors. As the level of parental knowledge increases among rural adolescents, the impact of the teacher-student relationship on externalizing problem behaviors becomes more pronounced; and (5) the impact of teacher-student relationship on externalizing problem behaviors has no significant gender differences. Given the study's empirical outcomes, we discuss potential explanations and advocate for a comprehensive pedagogical approach to mitigate rural adolescent externalizing behaviors. This entails nurturing teacher-student relations, fostering inclusive peer environments, emphasizing mental health literacy, and synergizing with caregivers for a holistic home-school intervention.

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This study aimed to examine group differences in the survivors of humidifier damage and the effect of individual psychotherapy on the psychological symptoms of the survivor groups, using the single group pre-post study design. A series of Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were conducted to investigate the level of psychological problems before and after psychotherapy, as well as the main and interaction effects of demographic characteristics and adaptive functioning on the treatment effects in 69 humidifier disinfectant survivors. The results demonstrated significant differences in problems with socioeconomic status (SES), life functioning, friendships, family relationships, and job adjustment in the survivor groups. Groups with high SES, low life functioning, and poor friend relationships had more problem behaviors than other groups. Problem behaviors related to friendship levels were different before and after psychotherapy. After psychotherapy, individuals with limited social connections exhibited a greater decrease in problem behaviors compared to those with strong friendships. This paper extends the international literature on the long-term consequences of environmental health hazards and the importance of tailored mental health interventions.

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This study explored the link between classroom-level problem behaviors and teacher-child interaction quality in 307 Head Start preschool classrooms. The moderating role of the classroom's age composition (e.g., 3- and 4-year-olds versus 4-year-olds only) also was examined. Using a dataset of 852 3-year-old children and 1114 4-year-old children, classroom-level problem behaviors were operationalized using teacher reports of children's problem behaviors. Results indicated that classroom-level problem behaviors, specifically oppositional/aggressive and internalizing behavior, were associated with lower teacher-child interaction quality (i.e., emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support). In contrast, classroom-level hyperactivity was only negatively related to classroom instructional support. Moderation results indicated that high-levels of classroom-level activity were related to lower-levels of teacher-child interaction quality, but for 4-year-old only classrooms. The results of this study have implications for practice and policy.

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We analyzed a population-representative cohort (N=13,611; Mage at kindergarten, first, and second grade = 67.5, 79.5, and 91.5 months, respectively) to identify kindergarten to second grade factors predictive of being bullies or victims during third to fifth grade. We did so by estimating a block recursive structural equation model (SEM) with three sets of predictors. These were: (a) individual and school socio-demographics; (b) family distress and harsh parenting; and (c) individual behavior and achievement. Relations between each of the included variables and the bullying outcomes were simultaneously estimated within the SEM. Thus, each variable served as a control for estimating the effects of the other variables. We used robust standard errors to account for student clustering within schools. Results indicated that externalizing problem behavior strongly predicted being a bully ([ES] = .56, p<.001) and a victim (ES=.29, p<.001). We observed a negative relation between being Hispanic and being a victim (ES = -.10, p<.001) and a positive relation between being Black and being a bully (ES = .11, p<.001). We also observed statistically significant relations between a family's socioeconomic status and being a bully (ES = -.08, p<.001) as well as school poverty and being a victim (ES = .07, p<.001). The results advance the field's limited understanding of risk and protective factors for bullying perpetration or victimization during elementary school and provide additional empirical support for assisting young children already exhibiting externalizing problem behaviors.

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There is compelling evidence that early school intervention programs enhance children's development of life skills, with a positive knock-on effect on their behaviors and academic outcomes. To date, most universal interventions have displayed gains in children's social-emotional competencies with a limited reduction in problem behaviors. This may depend on programs' curricula focused to a greater extent on preschoolers' social-emotional competencies rather than problem behaviors. Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) is a European, school-based, universal mental health program explicitly focused on both promoting students' mental health and preventing negative conduct by adopting a whole-school approach. In this study, we set out to evaluate the effectiveness of the program for Italian and Portuguese preschoolers. We recruited 784 children (age range = 4-5 years), assigning them to either an experimental group (six months' participation in the PROMEHS program under the guidance of their teachers, who had received ad hoc training) or a waiting list group (no intervention). We found that PROMEHS improved preschoolers' social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies, prosocial behavior, and academic outcomes. The more practical activities were carried out at school, the more children's SEL competencies increased, and the more their internalizing and externalizing behaviors decreased. Furthermore, marginalized and disadvantaged children were those who benefited most from the program, displaying both greater improvements in SEL and more marked decreases in internalizing problems compared to the rest of the sample.

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BACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional traits and emotional lability/negativity of young children have been regarded as the markers of externalizing problem behaviors. Based on the sensitivity to threat and affiliative reward model and the general aggression model, emotional lability/negativity may act as a mediator in the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and externalizing problem behaviors. Additionally, a positive teacher-child relationship could act as a buffer given the parental absence in left-behind children. However, these links remain unexplored in left-behind preschool children. Therefore, this study explored the link between callous-unemotional traits of left-behind preschool children and externalizing problem behaviors, as well as the mediating role of emotional lability/negativity and the moderating role of a positive teacher-child relationship. METHOD: Data were collected on 525 left-behind children aged 3 to 6 years from rural kindergartens in China. Preschool teachers reported all data through an online survey platform. Moderated mediation analysis was performed to examine whether the mediated relation between callous-unemotional traits and externalizing problem behaviors was moderated by a positive teacher-child relationship. RESULTS: The results showed callous-unemotional traits significantly predicted externalizing problem behaviors and lability/negativity acted as a mediator, while a positive teacher-child relationship acted as a protective factor in moderating the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and emotional lability/negativity. This study identified a moderated mediation effect among the four variables in left-behind preschool children in China. CONCLUSION: The findings provide support for the advancement of theoretical foundations, and provide an avenue for further exploration to support the mental health and overall development of left-behind children during early childhood.