UC Riverside Undergraduate Research Journal

Current research indicates that parental neglect and child irritability are both positively associated with internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors. However, marginalized groups, such as preadolescent Latina girls, remain underrepresented in this area of the scientific literature. The present study extends prior research by examining associations among parental support, irritability, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing behaviors in a sample of 27 Latina girls aged 8-13. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to assess the associations between parental support and internalizing symptoms, parental support and externalizing behaviors, irritability and internalizing symptoms, and irritability and externalizing behaviors. Results indicated an association between child irritability and internalizing symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of examining child irritability in relation to the development of internalizing symptoms in Latina preadolescent girls.