Predictors of Internalizing Behaviors in Ukrainian Children

• Published in: Family relations Vol. 66; no. 5; pp. 854 - 866
• Main Authors: Burlaka, Viktor, Kim, Yi Jin, Crutchfield, Jandel M., Lefmann, Teresa A., Kay, Emma S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2017; National Council on Family Relations
• Subjects: Age; Alcohol Education; Alcohol use; Alcoholism; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Behavior; Behavior Problems; Child & adolescent mental health; Child internalizing behaviors; Child Rearing; Childrearing practices; Children; Children & youth; Consciousness; Depression (Psychology); Drinking; Educational Attainment; Environmental aspects; Environmental Influences; Epidemiology; Families & family life; Family Income; Females; Gender; Gender Differences; Health problems; Internalization; Internalizing disorders; Low income groups; Males; Maternal depression; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Mothers; Multiple Regression Analysis; OF GENERAL INTEREST; Older children; Parent Child Relationship; Parenting Styles; Parents & parenting; parent–child relationships; positive parenting; Predictor Variables; Protective factors; Psychology; Psychopathology; Regression analysis; Researchers; Risk behavior; Risk factors; Social Development; Sociodemographics; Supervision; Symptoms; Systematic review; Ukrainian; Ukrainian families; Ukraine; parent–child relationships; Ukrainian families; Child internalizing behaviors; positive parenting
• ISSN: 0197-6664; 1741-3729; 0197-6664
• DOI: 10.1111/fare.12289

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 psychopathology and parenting practices, depression, alcohol use, and sociodemographics. Background: Most research on child internalizing 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 lowand 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. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship among the independent variables (e.g., alcohol use, depression, and parenting behaviors) and children's internalizing behaviors. Results: Older children, especially boys, reported fewer internalizing problems. 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 backgrounds while trying to address child mental health problems in Ukraine. Implications: Family practitioners may want to help mothers learn and apply positive parenting 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 positive trickle-down effect on their children's internalizing behaviors.