The Role of Academic Skills in the Evolution of Conduct Problems and Depressive Symptoms Among Children With and Without Early Clinically Significant Conduct Problems

Abstract

Youth with conduct problems present frequently depressive symptoms. Academic skills are thought to be a mediating variable by which conduct problems could lead to depressive symptoms. No studies have longitudinally compared this model among school-aged boys and girls with different levels of conduct problems. Cascade models were tested to examine the relations between conduct problems, depressive symptoms, and academic skills over a 3-year period, and whether the severity of conduct problems and gender moderated these associations. Participants were 381 children presenting early clinically significant conduct problems (44.9% female) and 363 children with low levels of conduct problems (48.8% female). While results did not

The longitudinal association between externalizing and internalizing problems: An exploration of the dual failure model.

“…Indeed, as in multiple past studies (Boots et al, 2011;Lapalme et al, 2018;Panayiotou & Humphrey, 2018;Poirier et al, 2019;Vaillancourt et al, 2013;Yong et al, 2014), our results did not support the academic failure pathway. This may not be surprising considering that the first studies conducted to validate the Dual Failure Model by its authors (Patterson & Capaldi, 1990;Patterson & Stoolmiller, 1991) also obtained inconsistent results regarding this pathway, and that this situation led the authors to qualify academic difficulties as potentially having a significant but secondary role.…”

“…Considering the indirect pathway between externalizing problems and internalizing problems via low academic performance, it has been illustrated by previous work (e.g., Martin-Storey et al, 2018;van Lier et al, 2012;Wertz et al, 2015) only according to teacher reports. When another rater was used to assess either behavior problems or academic achievement (Panayiotou & Humphrey, 2018;Poirier et al, 2019;Vaillancourt et al, 2013;Yong et al, 2014), the indirect relation was not found to be significant or was significant for boys only (Klostermann et al, 2016). Since academic failure is linked with having trouble adjusting to new demands associated with knowledge acquisition and can be induced by new contexts in children's lives, the mediating role of academic failure may be more apparent to those in the classroom environment (i.e., teachers).…”

“…The above cited studies only examined the presence of direct paths, precluding empirical testing of the indirect path between externalizing problems and internalizing problems via low academic performance. In a sample including children presenting conduct problems (CP), Poirier and colleagues (2019), found that among girls, CP at 7–10 years of age were linked to lower academic skills 1 year later and these lower academic skills were linked to higher levels of depression 2 years later. However, no significant indirect link was shown between CP and depression via academic skills.…”

“…Except for Bornstein et al (2010) and Moilanen et al (2010), who focused exclusively on boys, the studies cited above tested for gender differences and approximately half of them showed invariance between boys and girls (Burt & Roisman, 2010; Deighton et al, 2018; Englund & Siebenbruner, 2012; Gooren et al, 2011; Masten et al, 2005; Obradović et al, 2009; Vaillancourt et al, 2013; Van der Ende et al, 2016; van Lier et al, 2012; Wertz et al, 2015). However, other studies showed significant gender differences, encouraging the researchers to analyze their models separately for boys and for girls (Boots et al, 2011; Klostermann et al, 2016; Lapalme et al, 2018; Panayiotou & Humphrey, 2018; Poirier et al, 2019). Of particular interest is in understanding how these associations vary at the path level.…”

“…Children with externalizing problems are at greater risk for a host of other difficulties (Bradshaw, Schaeffer, Petras, & Ialongo, 2010; Reef, Diamantopoulou, van Meurs, Verhulst, & van der Ende, 2011), including substance abuse, school dropout, low life satisfaction, and poor physical health outcomes (Bradshaw et al, 2010; Herrenkohl et al, 2010; Odgers et al, 2008; Reef et al, 2011; Wertz et al, 2018). In particular, children displaying externalizing behaviors are at greater risk of developing internalizing problems compared to their peers without externalizing behaviors (Boots, Wareham, & Weir, 2011; Déry et al, 2017; Gooren, van Lier, Stegge, Terwogt, & Koot, 2011; Klostermann, Connell, & Stormshak, 2016; Moilanen, Shaw, & Maxwell, 2010; Poirier et al, 2019; van Lier & Koot, 2010; van Lier et al, 2012; Wertz et al, 2015). As co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems have more severe consequences than externalizing problems alone (Yoo, Brown, & Luthar, 2009) and as childhood internalizing problems are notably associated with poorer academic performance and the development of adult psychiatric disorders (Liu, Chen, & Lewis, 2011), it is crucial to understand why children with externalizing problems are at greater risk for developing internalizing problems.…”