Predictors of Internalizing Behaviors in Ukrainian Children

• Author: Yi Jin Kim,Jandel M. Crutchfield,Viktor Burlaka,Teresa A. Lefmann,Emma S. Kay
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12289
• Published date: 01 December 2017
• Date: 01 December 2017

V B, Y J K, J M. C,  T A. L University

of Mississippi

E S. K University of Alabama

Predictors of Internalizing Behaviors in Ukrainian

Children

Objective: To (a) estimate the level of child

internalizing problems in a sample of Ukrainian

school-age children and (b) examine the

relationships between child internalizing psy-

chopathology and parenting practices, depres-

sion, alcohol use, and sociodemographics.

Background: Most research on child inter-

nalizing behaviors has used samples from

high-income countries, but there is a lack of

information about children’s behaviors and

associated risk and protective factors from low-

and middle-income countries such as Ukraine.

An ecological–transactional model framework

was used in this study to examine maternal

and family-level factors associated with child

internalizing behavior problems.

Method: Data were gathered from a

community-based sample of Ukrainian mothers

and children between 9 and 16years of age

(n=251) using face-to-face interviews. Mul-

tiple linear regression analysis was used to

examine the relationship among the indepen-

dent variables (e.g., alcohol use, depression,

and parenting behaviors) and children’s inter-

nalizing behaviors.

Results: Older children, especially boys,

reported fewer internalizing problems.

Department of Social Work, University of Mississippi,

204 Longstreet/P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677

(viktor@olemiss.edu).

Key Words: Child internalizing behaviors, positive parent-

ing, parent–child relationships,Ukrainian families.

Increased internalizing symptomatology was

associated with mothers’ older age, higher level

of depression, lower use of positive parenting,

and poor child monitoring and supervision.

Conclusion: These results raise awareness

about the importance of child familial back-

grounds while trying to address child mental

health problems in Ukraine.

Implications: Family practitioners may want to

help mothers learn and apply positive parent-

ing and effective supervision and monitoring

skills to help reduce their children’s depression

and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, helping to

decrease maternal depression may have a posi-

tive trickle-down effect on their children’s inter-

nalizing behaviors.

Internalizing behaviors such as depression and

anxiety are an important public health issue

(American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Among children, internalizing problems often

stem from environmental factors (Cicchetti

& Toth, 1998) and may cause serious func-

tional impairments later in life (e.g., Bittner

et al., 2007; Dekker et al., 2007). Child and

parent characteristics, cultural norms, and

parenting behaviors may also play a role in the

development of child internalizing behaviors

(Beauchaine & Hinshaw, 2008). However, most

studies in this area have focused on children

living in high-income countries, which over-

looks the unique risk factors of children living

in low- and middle-income countries such as

854 Family Relations 66 (December 2017): 854–866

DOI:10.1111/fare.12289