Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Klein, Daniel N | Davila, Joanne | Levy, Sheri | Carlson, Gabrielle A.
Date
2015-12-01
Keywords
Psychology -- Developmental psychology | child psychopathology, longitudinal design, middle-childhood, peer relationships
Department
Department of Clinical Psychology
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77179
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Recent findings indicate that preschoolers experience psychiatric symptoms at rates similar to that of older children and adolescents. However, there are limited data examining the impact of early-onset psychiatric symptoms on subsequent peer functioning. To support the validity and clinical significance of early-emerging symptoms, it is necessary to demonstrate that youth with elevated symptom levels experience significant later difficulties across various domains. Most research linking these constructs has examined the impact of externalizing symptoms on peer functioning cross-sectionally, without consideration of internalizing symptoms. The goals of this study were to derive multiple-informant middle-childhood peer factors, examine the longitudinal impact of internalizing (depression, anxiety) and externalizing (oppositional defiant disorder [ODD], attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) symptoms at ages 3 and 6 on peer functioning in middle-childhood, and explore mediating and moderating mechanisms between these relationships. The sample was comprised of 427 children, who were roughly half-male (53.2%) and primarily Caucasian (87.6%). Early-onset psychopathology was assessed via the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment at ages 3 and 6, and parents, children, and teachers reported on peer functioning at age 9. Results indicated that preschool depressive, anxiety, and ODD symptoms predicted difficulty with peer acceptance and aggression in middle-childhood, above and beyond concurrent symptoms. There were stronger links between symptoms at school entry and peer functioning in middle-childhood, with depression, anxiety, ODD, and ADHD all impacting social discomfort, low acceptance, and aggression with peers. We further found that socially unskilled behavior mediated the relationship between preschool externalizing symptoms and later peer difficulty, and that children with psychiatric symptoms at school-entry consistently evidenced increased peer difficulty in middle-childhood relative to those with low symptoms at school-entry. Finally, we found that children who had elevated preschool depression scores and a parent with poor psychiatric functioning and/or marital dissatisfaction were significantly more prone to low acceptance among peers, elevated aggression levels, and greater exclusion by peers. Our findings underscored the importance of early-onset depressive symptoms, given the numerous unique associations between preschool-onset depression and subsequent peer functioning difficulty. This study supported early identification of psychiatric symptoms in young children, which can lead to intervention for at-risk children. | 142 pages
Recommended Citation
Danzig, Allison Pennock, "Implications of Early-Onset Psychiatric Symptoms for Peer Functioning in Middle-Childhood: A Validity and Clinical Significance Approach" (2015). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 3013.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/3013