Testing specificity in associations of threat and deprivation events with adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Early life adversity is a robust predictor of psychopathology across development. However, the direct associations between specific dimensions of adversity and specific types of symptoms are less clear. Informed by the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP), dimensions of threat and deprivation were examined as specific, unique predictors of both internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents. Ninety-six parent-adolescent (ages 10–15 years old) dyads were enrolled in the study. Parent-adolescent dyads completed the study in a university research laboratory. Adolescents completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire at baseline to assess their exposure to dimensions of threat and deprivation. Adolescents completed the Youth Self Report and parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist at baseline, 3-month, and 12-month follow-ups to assess adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. In regression analyses examining the direct associations of dimensions of adversity with symptoms, after controlling for levels of internalizing symptoms, the most robust effects were found for the direct association of threat with youth self-reports of externalizing symptoms at baseline (β = 0.45 p < .001) and 3-month follow up (β = 0.32, p = .004), and for the parent report of youth externalizing symptoms (β = 0.29, p = .02) at baseline. These findings underscore the importance of controlling for internalizing problems when predicting externalizing problems and vice versa to test the specificity of dimensions of adversity with symptoms of psychopathology, the significance of including both dimensions as symptom predictors, and the relevance in examining both self- and parent-reports of symptoms.