Developmental Trajectories of Co-Occurring Externalizing and Internalizing Problems in Chinese Preschool Children: The Early Antecedents and Associations with Child Outcomes

This study investigated the developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems among Chinese preschool children. We also examined the early antecedents of different behavioral and emotional trajectories and their associations with child outcomes. Data were collected from 502 children and their parents in Guangdong, China; data collection is approved by the University of Macau (MYRG2018–00024–FED). Research Findings: Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) revealed four distinct trajectories: high internalizing problem–stable, high co-occurring problem–decreasing, Low internalizing problem–stable, and Low problem–increasing. Authoritative parenting and children’s sociability were identified as protective factors for adaptive trajectories, whereas emotional instability was a risk factor for problematic behavioral and emotional trajectories. Children in the Low problem–increasing trajectory had poorer math performance than those in the Low internalizing problem–stable group. Practice or Policy: These findings underscore the urgent need for early interventions focused on emotion regulation and the development of social skills to prevent the escalation of behavioral and emotional problems.