Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Dev Psychopathol. 2021 Feb;33(1):1-17. doi: 10.1017/S0954579419001494.
Prior research has documented elevations in levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors among children in lower income families in comparison to more advantaged peers. However, most studies focus on behavior problems at a single point in time or within a short developmental period. Associations between income dynamics and developmental trajectories of behavior problems over time are less understood. To address this, the current study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (N = 7,476; 50.8% male) to examine how income dynamics (annual income and income volatility) across three distinct developmental periods from early childhood to early adolescence relate to trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems. Group-based mixture modeling revealed a five-group trajectory model for externalizing behavior and a four-group trajectory model for internalizing behavior. Higher cumulative annual income predicted greater likelihood of belonging to the low-stable group compared to the other, more problematic groups for both externalizing and internalizing trajectories. In addition, income losses predicted higher risk of membership in any group other than the low-stable group for internalizing and externalizing behavior. Developmental period-specific income dynamics, though not as consistent as cumulative dynamics, also predicted trajectory group membership.
先前的研究已经记录了低收入家庭的儿童与条件优越的同龄人相比，其内化和外化行为水平升高。然而，大多数研究都集中在单一时间点或短期发展阶段的行为问题上。对于收入动态与行为问题的发展轨迹随时间的关联，人们的了解较少。为了解决这一问题，本研究使用了来自国家青年纵向研究（N = 7476；50.8%为男性）的数据，来考察在从幼儿期到青春期早期的三个不同发展阶段中，收入动态（年收入和收入波动性）如何与外化和内化问题的轨迹相关。基于群组的混合模型揭示了外化行为的五群组轨迹模型和内化行为的四群组轨迹模型。与其他更具问题性的群体相比，累积年收入越高，更有可能属于低稳定组，这两组的外化和内化轨迹都是如此。此外，对于内化和外化行为来说，收入损失预示着除了低稳定组之外，属于任何其他组的风险更高。虽然发展阶段特定的收入动态不如累积动态那样一致，但也可以预测轨迹组的成员身份。
