Preschool Psychopathology

A number of studies have found that broadband internalizing and externalizing factors provide a parsimonious framework for understanding the structure of psychopathology across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. However, few of those studies have examined psychopathology in young children, and a number of other recent studies have found support for alternative models, including a bi-factor model with common and specific factors. this study used parents' (typically mothers') reports on a diagnostic interview during a community sample of 3-year old children (n = 541; 53.9 % male) to match the internalizing-externalizing latent factor model with a bi-factor model. The bi-factor model provided a far better fit the info . to check the concurrent validity of this solution, we examined associations between this model and paternal reports and laboratory observations of kid temperament. The internalizing factor was related to low levels of surgency and high levels of fear; the externalizing factor was related to high levels of surgency and disinhibition and low levels of effortful control; and therefore the common divisor was related to high levels of surgency and negative affect and low levels of effortful control. These results suggest that psychopathology in preschool-aged children could also be explained by one , common divisor influencing nearly all disorders and unique internalizing and externalizing factors. These findings indicate that shared variance across internalizing and externalizing domains is substantial and are according to recent suggestions that emotion regulation difficulties could also be a standard vulnerability for a good array of psychopathology