Abstract

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to explore mother’s which psychiatric symptoms are related to child’s internalizing and externalizing problems.
Method: The study group consisted of the mothers of 4-6 years old children, who were referred to Yildirim Beyazit University, Yenimahalle Training and Research Hospital, Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic. The control group consisted of 4-6 years old children who have never referred to a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic and their mothers. The mothers filled in the Child Behavior Check List 4-18 (CBCL/4-18), and Symptom Check List-90-R (SCL-90-R). The data were compared with the control group.
Results: The study sample consisted of 61 children in the case group, age-matched 55 control children and their mothers. The most common referral complaint was delayed speech (34.4%). There were clinically significant internalizing disorders in 29 (49.2%) children from the study group and 5 (9.4%) from the control group and significant externalizing disorders in 18 (30.5%) children from the study group and 3 (5.7%) from the control group. The correlation analysis revealed that all emotional and behavioral problems of the children were significantly related to the psychiatric symptoms of the mothers. Psychiatric symptom scores of the mothers of children with internalizing and externalizing problems were found significantly higher than the scores of the mothers of children without problems.
Conclusion: Mother’s psychiatric symptoms are seen to be related to internalizing and externalizing problems of the child, independent of Psychiatric diagnosis. The fact that any psychiatric symptom of the mother would have an emotional or behavioral reciprocation on the child has to be taken into account by the clinician.

Key words: Child, externalizing, internalizing, mother, preschool, psychopathology