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Swedish adolescent girls in special residential treatment : A person-oriented approach to the identification of problem syndromes

Wångby-Lundh, Margit LU ; Klingstedt, Marie Louise ; Bergman, Lars R. and Ferrer-Wreder, Laura (2018) In Nordic Psychology 70(1). p.17-46
Abstract

The purpose of this series of three cross-sectional studies was to identify typical syndromes of self-reported externalizing and internalizing problems, and examine their overlap, among adolescent girls and young women in Swedish special residential homes for young people (N = 713). The associations with some family background factors were also investigated. Data came from a research register at the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care and concerned structured interviews with all girls admitted to these homes from 1997 to 2001. An advanced clustering procedure was applied and significant syndrome structures were retrieved in both the externalizing and internalizing area. Among the nine externalizing syndromes were a low-problem... (More)

The purpose of this series of three cross-sectional studies was to identify typical syndromes of self-reported externalizing and internalizing problems, and examine their overlap, among adolescent girls and young women in Swedish special residential homes for young people (N = 713). The associations with some family background factors were also investigated. Data came from a research register at the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care and concerned structured interviews with all girls admitted to these homes from 1997 to 2001. An advanced clustering procedure was applied and significant syndrome structures were retrieved in both the externalizing and internalizing area. Among the nine externalizing syndromes were a low-problem syndrome and two multiple-problem syndromes, one combining aggressive behavior, alcohol use/abuse and criminality, and the other combining drug abuse with property/drug offenses. Among the seven internalizing syndromes were a low-problem syndrome, an anxiety/depression syndrome and a generalized internalizing syndrome with particularly high rates of physical and sexual abuse. Results supported the theoretical assumption, made within a holistic-interactionistic paradigm, that adjustment problems would co-occur in a limited number of syndromes. When the overlap between externalizing and internalizing syndromes was considered, good adjustment was generalized between the two areas, whereas there appeared to be an increased risk of having an internalizing syndrome among girls with externalizing syndromes related to aggressive behavior. It is of great importance to consider the full problem pattern of girls with externalizing adjustment problems, including internalizing problems and histories of physical and sexual abuse, when considering subgroups in need of different treatment regimes.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cluster analysis, externalizing problems, girls, internalizing problems, residential care, syndromes
in
Nordic Psychology
volume
70
issue
1
pages
17 - 46
publisher
Dansk Psykologisk Forlag
external identifiers
  • scopus:85019256192
ISSN
1901-2276
DOI
10.1080/19012276.2017.1323663
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7f0edfff-f56e-4cb7-a79c-e54d3a379a62
date added to LUP
2017-05-30 07:50:07
date last changed
2022-03-09 03:25:18
@article{7f0edfff-f56e-4cb7-a79c-e54d3a379a62,
  abstract     = {{<p>The purpose of this series of three cross-sectional studies was to identify typical syndromes of self-reported externalizing and internalizing problems, and examine their overlap, among adolescent girls and young women in Swedish special residential homes for young people (N = 713). The associations with some family background factors were also investigated. Data came from a research register at the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care and concerned structured interviews with all girls admitted to these homes from 1997 to 2001. An advanced clustering procedure was applied and significant syndrome structures were retrieved in both the externalizing and internalizing area. Among the nine externalizing syndromes were a low-problem syndrome and two multiple-problem syndromes, one combining aggressive behavior, alcohol use/abuse and criminality, and the other combining drug abuse with property/drug offenses. Among the seven internalizing syndromes were a low-problem syndrome, an anxiety/depression syndrome and a generalized internalizing syndrome with particularly high rates of physical and sexual abuse. Results supported the theoretical assumption, made within a holistic-interactionistic paradigm, that adjustment problems would co-occur in a limited number of syndromes. When the overlap between externalizing and internalizing syndromes was considered, good adjustment was generalized between the two areas, whereas there appeared to be an increased risk of having an internalizing syndrome among girls with externalizing syndromes related to aggressive behavior. It is of great importance to consider the full problem pattern of girls with externalizing adjustment problems, including internalizing problems and histories of physical and sexual abuse, when considering subgroups in need of different treatment regimes.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wångby-Lundh, Margit and Klingstedt, Marie Louise and Bergman, Lars R. and Ferrer-Wreder, Laura}},
  issn         = {{1901-2276}},
  keywords     = {{cluster analysis; externalizing problems; girls; internalizing problems; residential care; syndromes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{17--46}},
  publisher    = {{Dansk Psykologisk Forlag}},
  series       = {{Nordic Psychology}},
  title        = {{Swedish adolescent girls in special residential treatment : A person-oriented approach to the identification of problem syndromes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19012276.2017.1323663}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/19012276.2017.1323663}},
  volume       = {{70}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}