Internalizing behavior problems in Latinx children: Patterns and correlates of anxiety, depressive, and somatic symptoms from pre-kindergarten through third grade

Latinx adolescents experience disproportionately high levels of internalizing symptoms, but little is known about the manifestation of internalizing problems in early childhood. In light of mounting evidence that internalizing disorders have their onset in early childhood, and the premise that individual child and ecological factors combine early in life to initiate a cascade toward later mental health problems, this chapter examined trajectories of anxiety, depressive, and somatic symptoms, as rated by mothers and teachers, from the start of pre-K through the end of Grade 3 in a community sample of 749 Mexican- and Dominican-origin children. Across time, ratings on all domains were high. We found some differences in internalizing trajectories by ethnicity, but not by gender. Authoritarian parenting was associated with more symptoms, suggesting that interventions to support the use of responsive and appropriately demanding practices may help prevent anxiety, depression, and somatization.