Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Ecological Antecedents of Children's Externalizing Behavior

Background:

Child externalizing behavior is a serious concern, potentially leading to adverse outcomes like substance abuse and violent behavior. Understanding the ecological antecedents of such behaviors is crucial for developing effective interventions. This study utilizes the social-ecological framework, considering individual, relational, community, and societal factors, to examine the risk and protective factors influencing these behaviors across different racial and ethnic groups. This approach highlights the role of family dynamics, peer interactions, academic challenges, and neighborhood safety, offering insights into mental health disparities affecting children of color.

Methods:

Using data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, this study analyzes responses from 9,251 caregivers of children aged 6-11. It examines the impact of various ecological factors on externalizing behaviors among diverse racial and ethnic groups through descriptive statistics and multivariate regression, aiming to uncover significant predictors and their variances.

Results:

The study develops four models correlating with the racial/ethnic groups represented:

For the White child group, factors such as parenting demands (B = .03, p ≤ .05), parent-child bonding (B = -.07, p ≤ .001), and exposure to neighborhood violence (B = .20, p ≤ .001) explained 39% of the variance in behavior. Negative predictors included strong bonding and engagement in extracurricular activities.

For the Black/African American children, this model explained 38% of behavior variance with significant predictors, including parenting frustration (B = .08, p ≤ .001) and school difficulties (B = .22, p ≤ .001). Protective factors were effective friendships (B = -.46, p ≤ .001) and caring about school (B = -.17, p ≤ .01).

In the Hispanic child group, explaining 40% of the variance, this model showed similar patterns to others with key predictors like peer victimization (B = .19, p ≤ .001) and difficulty making friends (B = -.73, p ≤ .001). In other groups, representing a 37% variance explanation, significant positive predictors included peer victimization (B = .22, p ≤ .001) and parenting frustration (B = .08, p ≤ .001), with negative influences from difficulty making friends (B = -.23, p ≤ .05) and caring about school (B = -.09, p ≤ .05). These results underline the complex interactions of familial, social, and educational elements in shaping externalizing behaviors across different ethnicities.

Conclusions/Implications:

The findings underscore the importance of an ecological systems approach in understanding and addressing child externalizing behavior. Effective intervention strategies should target multiple ecological levels, particularly home and individual influences, across racial and ethnic groups. This study supports further exploration of ecological antecedents to child externalizing behavior, emphasizing racial and ethnic disparities and informing targeted intervention designs.