Socioeconomic Status and Internalizing Symptoms in Chilean Children: Does Reserve Capacity Matter?

J Child Adolesc Behav. 2015 Oct;3(5):254. doi: 10.4172/2375-4494.1000254. Epub 2015 Oct 21.

Abstract

Informed by the reserve capacity model, we examined pathways between socioeconomic status (SES) and internalizing symptoms (IS) in 1119 Chilean 10-year-olds. Mediators included parental disciplinary style and reserve capacity resources (RCR), namely home environment, parent-child engagement, and self-esteem, and conduct problems. Using structural equation modeling, the model was stratified by gender. For boys, the SES-IS relationship was mediated by the home environment and parental disciplinary style. For girls, the SES-IS relationship was mediated by the home environment, parent-child engagement, self-esteem, and conduct problems. Findings suggest different RCR may protect against IS in a sample of Chilean children.

Keywords: Conduct; Internalizing symptoms; Parental discipline; Reserve capacity; Self-esteem; Socioeconomic status.