A Multi-Informant Approach to Assessing Childhood Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: The Role of Academic Engagement and Peer Processes

Internalizing (IS) and externalizing symptoms (ES) often co-occur in children and predict numerous negative outcomes (Willner et al., 2016). Extant research has identified four symptom profiles based on youth- or teacher-reported symptoms: high ES, high IS, high IS and ES, and low IS and ES (Olino et al., 2012; Willner et al., 2016). The assessment of these symptoms often includes multiple raters; however, few studies have examined profiles and correlates of rater agreement. In order to generate effective interventions, it is important to include multiple raters of youth’s symptoms, which may capture contextual variations in youth’s behavior and thresholds for problematic behavior. This paper examined profiles IS and ES based on teacher and parent reports of youth, and examined whether profiles differed based on youth’s academic engagement and peer processes.

Adolescents (N=161, 70.8% African-American) were screened to participate in an intervention in seventh grade designed to attenuate reported concerns with aggression. Pre-intervention data were used for the current study, with parents and teachers reporting on adolescents’ IS and ES. Teachers also reported on children’s learning problems and youth reported on their attachment to teachers and peer relations. Latent profile analysis was conducted including parent and teacher reports of IS and ES. Auxiliary analyses examined whether profile membership was associated with academic engagement and peer processes.

A three-class model of IS and ES best fit the data. The following profiles were identified: (1) high teacher-reported IS (i.e., discrepant from parent report); (2) converging parent- and teacher-reported symptoms of sample average; and (3) moderate parent-reported IS and teacher-reported ES. Between-class differences were observed in teacher-reported learning problems, youth-reported attachment to teachers, and youth-reported peer relations. Youth in the high teacher-reported IS profile exhibited higher teacher-reported learning problems and lower youth-reported attachment to teachers and lower interpersonal skills.

We identified three classes of youth that differed in parent- and teacher-reported symptoms, with one class showing agreement between informants (average symptoms class), but the other two evidencing informant disagreement. Youth in the high teacher-reported IS profile may exhibit academic challenges, peer difficulties, and may not participate in class and/or be socially withdrawn; thus, teachers may report higher internalizing symptoms among these youth. Interventions should consider targeting children’s scholastic engagement and peer relations as these processes may influence internalizing symptom levels, particularly in the classroom.