Internalizing symptoms among Taiwanese adolescents in poverty: Longitudinal influences of neighborhood, family, and school

Introduction Identifying specific contextual factors that contribute to the development of internalizing symptoms in adolescents in poverty is critical for prevention. This study examined the longitudinal effects of neighborhood disadvantage, family cohesion, and teacher-student relationship on adolescent internalizing symptoms from economically disadvantaged families. Methods Participants were 1404 Taiwanese adolescents (49% female) in the nationally representative Taiwan database of children and youth in poverty. Youth were enrolled in the seventh, eighth, or ninth grades (Time 1; M-age = 14.85, SD = 0.95) and completed biennial follow-up assessments 2 (Time 2; M-age = 16.47, SD = 0.74) and 4 years after baseline (Time 3; M-age = 18.21, SD = 0.70). Latent growth models examined longitudinal associations between contextual factors and internalizing symptoms over time. Results Adolescents reported declines in neighborhood disadvantage and teacher-student relationship but increases in family cohesion over the 4 years. At baseline, greater neighborhood disadvantage was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms, whereas higher family cohesion was associated with lower levels of internalizing symptoms. Over time, an increase in family cohesion was associated with a decrease in internalizing symptoms. Conclusion This study provides empirical support that family cohesion plays a critical role in shaping the development of adolescent internalizing symptoms despite poverty. There was an increase in family cohesion from early to late adolescence among Taiwanese adolescents in poverty and such change was correlated with decreases in youth internalizing symptoms. Family cohesion may be a key target of prevention programs aiming to reduce internalizing symptoms for youth in poverty.