Citation

Burlaka V, Kim YJ, Crutchfield JM, Lefmann TA, Kay ES. Fam. Relat. 2017; 66(5): 854-866.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, National Council on Family Relations (USA), Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/fare.12289

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

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 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 16 years 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.

Language: en

Keywords

Child internalizing behaviors; parent–child relationships; positive parenting; Ukrainian families