Associations between bed-sharing in infancy and childhood internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Bed-sharing is a controversial but common parenting practice with claimed benefits for emotional and behavioral development. Using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (N = 16,599), this prospective study investigated whether bed-sharing at 9 months is associated with childhood internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories. Children were grouped by their patterns of co-developing internalizing and externalizing symptoms from 3 to 11 years of age using a parallel process latent class growth analysis. There were no associations between bed-sharing at 9 months of age and internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories across childhood. This finding suggests that bed-sharing at 9 months has no positive or negative influence on the development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms across childhood. Clinicians should inform parents that bed-sharing during the second half of the first year is unlikely to have an impact on the later emotional and behavioral development of the children.

The Relation between Residential Mobility and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescence: The Role of Subjective Moving Experience, Gender, and Friendship Quality.

Adolescent residential mobility can be a stressful life event, potentially aggravating internalizing or externalizing problems. However, the longitudinal effects of residential mobility are understudied and may be context-dependent. This study investigates the longitudinal associations between adolescent residential mobility and internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, this study examines for whom residential moves are most detrimental by including subjective moving experience, gender, and friendship quality before the move as moderators. Longitudinal data from 2,029 adolescents (51% female) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were used (Mage [SD] at T1 = 11.1 [0.55], T2 = 13.6 [0.52], and T3 = 16.3 [0.70]). Results from stepwise multi-level random-effect models showed that adolescents who experienced an unpleasant move remained stable in internalizing problems, while others decreased over time. Adolescents who moved increased stronger in externalizing problems than adolescents who did not move, independent of whether they experienced the move as unpleasant. Gender and friendship quality before the move did not moderate the relation between residential mobility and internalizing or externalizing problem development. These results emphasize that residential moves in adolescence, especially when experienced as unpleasant, can have long-lasting negative effects on adolescent development.

Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Children with Autism and ADHD: Profiles of Hair and Salivary Cortisol, Serum Leptin Concentrations and Externalizing/Internalizing Problems.

BACKGROUND: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) present a higher prevalence in individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). The Stress System and the Gut-Brain axis (GBA) may mediate these relations. We aimed to assess the prevalence and profile of FGIDs in a clinical sample of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to typically developing children (TD) as well as to investigate possible relations between stress-related biomarkers and internalizing/externalizing problems in children with NDDS. METHODS: In total, 120 children, aged between 4 and 12 years old, formed three groups (N = 40, each): ADHD, ASD and TD. Salivary cortisol, hair cortisol and serum leptin were measured. RESULTS: The ASD group had more FGID problems than the TD group (p = 0.001). The ADHD and ASD groups had higher total internalizing/externalizing problems than the TD group (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.005, respectively). Children with FGIDs showed more total, internalizing and externalizing problems compared to children without FGIDs (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.041, respectively). The ADHD group showed lower AUCg values (p < 0.0001), while the hair cortisol was higher for the TD group (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, children with NDDs had more FGID symptoms and present higher internalizing and externalizing problems. Children with ADHD and FGIDs had more internalizing problems compared to those without FGIDs. No differences in stress-related biomarkers were shown to differentiate children with NDDs with and without FGIDs. Future prospective studies including a greater number of children may elucidate the biological pathways linking these comorbidities.

The impact of excessive maternal weight on the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring-a narrative review of clinical studies.

The global prevalence of overweight and obesity is a significant public health concern that also largely affects women of childbearing age. Human epidemiological studies indicate that prenatal exposure to excessive maternal weight or excessive gestational weight gain is linked to various neurodevelopmental disorders in children, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, internalizing and externalizing problems, schizophrenia, and cognitive/intellectual impairment. Considering that inadequate maternal body mass can induce serious disorders in offspring, it is important to increase efforts to prevent such outcomes. In this paper, we review human studies linking excessive maternal weight and the occurrence of mental disorders in children.

Parental Migration Trajectories From Childhood Through Adolescence: Longitudinal Impact on Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Chinese Adolescents.

It is estimated that there are about 23% of all children in China experiencing parental migration and being left behind at hometown. Existing research indicated a significant association between parental migration and children development but overlooked the dynamic changes in family structure caused by parental migration. In this study, data was derived from a nationally representative longitudinal survey-the China Family Panel Studies. The main analyses employed four waves of data (2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018) and included 1401 adolescents aged 10-15 years (Mean:12.35, SD:1.67; 54.2% female). Six typical trajectories of parental migration capturing both migration status at each timepoint and changes in the status across six years were created. Children's depression and internalizing problems and externalizing problems were concerned outcomes. The mediating roles of the caregiver-child interaction and caregiver's depression were examined. Adolescents in the trajectory group described as experiencing transitions between being left behind by both parents and non had a higher risk of depression and internalizing and externalizing problems. Caregivers' depression was a significant mediator between parental migration and adolescent depression.

Scrutinizing parental minimization reactions to adolescents' negative emotions through the lens of Chinese culture.

This research examined in China two types of parental minimization reactions to adolescents' negative emotions: Devaluing/invalidating that degrades the significance of adolescents' emotions (thereby invalidating adolescents' feelings) versus discounting/mitigating that downplays the seriousness of the situations (thereby mitigating adolescents' emotional arousals). Study 1 had 777 adolescents (389 females; mean age = 12.79 years) complete a survey; Study 2 had 233 adolescents (111 females; mean age = 12.19 years) complete a survey twice spanning around 6 months. Study 1 showed adolescents' perceived maternal devaluing/invalidating and discounting/mitigating reactions as two distinct factors, with different patterns of associations with other supportive versus nonsupportive parenting practices. Study 2 showed that over time, adolescents' perceived maternal devaluing/invalidating reactions predicted their dampened socioemotional functioning; discounting/mitigating reactions predicted their enhanced functioning.

Emotion dysregulation and psychopathological symptoms in non-clinical adolescents: The mediating role of boredom and social media use.

BACKGROUND: Emotion dysregulation, boredom, and problematic social media use are well-known vulnerability factors for psychopathology during adolescence; nevertheless, the interplay between these factors remains underinvestigated in the literature. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study aimed to explore the mediating role of boredom and problematic social media use in the relations between emotion dysregulation and both internalizing and externalizing problems in a non-clinical group of Italian adolescents. METHOD: 721 students (64.6% girls; Mage = 15.49 years ± 1.82) were involved and completed self-report tools assessing emotion dysregulation, boredom, problematic social media use, and psychopathological symptoms. Path analysis was used to test whether boredom and problematic social media use mediated the relation between emotion dysregulation and psychopathology, distinguishing between internalizing and externalizing problems. RESULTS: Path models showed that emotion dysregulation predicted both internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as boredom and problematic social media use. Importantly, boredom mediated the associations between emotion dysregulation and both psychopathological dimensions, while problematic social media use mediated only the relation with externalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight that the influence of emotion dysregulation on psychopathology can manifest through different paths, leading to specific symptomatology based on interactions between various variables. In particular, boredom seems to be a transdiagnostic factor for psychopathology in adolescence, whereas problematic social media use would be a dimension-specific factor. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Association of cognitive and adaptive skills with internalizing and externalizing problems in autistic children and adolescents.

The presence of an intellectual disability (ID) alongside autism is considered to increase the risk for mental health and behavior problems in children and adolescents. Existing evidence is restricted by looking at ID as a categorical classification. The study aimed to examine the association of cognitive and adaptive behavior skills with internalizing and externalizing problems in a large sample of autistic children and adolescents, across a wide range of cognitive skills. Participants were 2759 children and adolescents aged between 4 and 18 years recruited as part of the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), of whom 709 (approximately 25%) had ID. Multiple regression models examined associations of internalizing and externalizing problems with cognitive and adaptive skills (communication, daily living, and socialization skills). Cognitive skills were not associated with externalizing problems but were associated with more internalizing problems in autistic children without ID (Cog ß: 0.126). All adaptive skill domains were inversely associated with externalizing (Communication ß: -0.145; Daily-Living ß: -0.132; Socialization ß: -0.289) and internalizing problems (Communication ß: -0.074; Daily-Living ß: -0.064; Socialization ß: -0.213) in those without ID. Daily living (ß: -0.158) and socialization skills (ß: -0.104) were inversely correlated with externalizing problems in autistic children with ID, while only socialization problems (ß: -0.099) were associated with internalizing problems in this group. Socialization skills were systematically associated with internalizing and externalizing problems across all levels of cognitive functioning. Supporting social skills development may benefit all aspects of child mental health, while recognizing that children with higher cognitive skills are more vulnerable to internalizing problems might assist with earlier identification of these problems.

The Relationship between Paternal Alexithymia and Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Behavioral Problems during Early Childhood.

The literature has long recognized that parental emotional competence, that is, the ability to express, understand, and regulate emotions, plays a key role in children's development from early childhood. Nevertheless, the effect of parental alexithymia, which can be understood as a deficit in emotional competence, has not been thoroughly studied. In particular, the association between paternal alexithymia and behavioral problems in young children is still a neglected area of research. This study aims to investigate the association between paternal alexithymia and children's internalizing and externalizing problems during the first three years of life, including whether overreactive parenting practices mediate the effect of alexithymia on children's behavioral problems. A sample of 203 fathers of children aged 18-36 months were administered the TAS-20, the Overreactivity subscale of the Parenting Scale, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/1½-5. The data indicate that paternal alexithymia is a predictor of children's internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems and that paternal overreactivity mediates the effect of alexithymia. These results highlight the importance of preventing parental alexithymia and involving fathers in parenting support programs aimed at ensuring children's mental health and adjustment.

Longitudinal network relations between symptoms of problematic internet game use and internalizing and externalizing problems among Chinese early adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: There has been growing evidence of comorbidity between problematic internet game use and internalizing and externalizing problems in young people. However, little is known about the directionality and gender differences in these longitudinal relations at the symptoms level in the framework of network theory among youth. This study estimated the longitudinal relations between the symptoms of problematic internet game use, internalizing and externalizing problems, and the gender differences of these relations in Chinese youth using cross-lagged panel network modeling (CLPN). METHODS: A sample of 1269 Chinese youth (M age = 10.35 years) participated in this study semi-annually at two time points. CLPN analysis was used to calculate the network model of problematic internet game use and internalizing and externalizing problems to explore bridge symptoms and find transmission pathways between problematic internet game use and internalizing and externalizing problems. RESULTS: The CLPN revealed significant gender differences. For boys, depressed mood, which leads to relationships turning sour in order to play online games, bridges the relations between internalizing symptoms and problematic internet game use. For girls, irritability is the central predictive symptom, causing a range of problems related to problematic internet game use, which can, in turn, lead to fights or feelings of worthlessness. However, the effect sizes for the pathways between problematic internet game use and internalizing/externalizing problems were relatively weak, and the comorbidity between their relations should not be over-interpreted. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings provide new evidence for understanding the directional relationship between the central characteristics of problematic internet game use and internalizing and externalizing problems in boys and girls. Gender-specific interventions targeting the central symptoms of internalizing and externalizing problems and problematic internet game use can help mitigate the vicious cycle of comorbidity among adolescents.

Associations between parental dispositional attributions, dismissing and coaching reactions to children's emotions, and children's problem behaviour moderated by child gender.

This study examined whether parents' attribution of their child's emotions (internalizing, externalizing) to dispositional causes is associated with children's problem behaviour (internalizing, externalizing). The mediating roles of parents' emotion-dismissing and -coaching reactions and the moderating role of child's gender was also examined. Participants were 241 US parents with a child (43% girls) between the ages of 5 and 7. Parents were presented with vignettes in which a gender-neutral child displayed internalizing and externalizing emotions and were asked to imagine their own child in the vignettes. Subsequently, parents indicated whether they attributed the child's emotion to dispositional causes and the likelihood of reacting in an emotion-dismissing and -coaching way in each situation. Child problem behaviour was measured using the CBCL. Results show that parental dispositional attributions were associated with child internalizing and externalizing problems, and this association was consistently mediated by emotion-dismissing reactions. The association between parental dispositional attributions and emotion-dismissing, as well as its indirect effect on child internalizing problems, was stronger for boys than for girls, whereas the indirect effect via emotion-coaching was stronger for girls than for boys. Thus, the parental attribution process seems to be different for boys and girls.

Childhood maltreatment and subsequent depressive symptoms: a prospective study of the sequential mediating role of self-esteem and internalizing/externalizing problems.

BACKGROUND: Depression among adolescents is a seriously disabling public health problem with an extremely high prevalence. Identifying risk factors of depression at an early stage is important to reduce the disease burden. Childhood maltreatment (CM) is one of the major risk factors for depression. The key mediating processes that how CM affects the development of depression, however, still need further clarification. The present study tested the mediating effect of self-esteem, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems between CM and depressive symptoms. Potential sex differences in the foregoing associations were also explored. METHODS: A three-wave longitudinal study was carried out among 1,957 middle and high school students from 69 classes in 10 public schools in the Guangdong province of China. Data collection started when students were in grades 7 and 10 (median age: 13.0, range: 11-18) between January and April 2019, and the students were followed up once a year thereafter. Self-reported CM, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, internalizing and externalizing problems, and other demographics were collected. The multiple serial mediation analysis was conducted. RESULTS: We found that CM was positively related to subsequent internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as depressive symptoms, while self-esteem was negatively related to depressive symptoms. Serial mediation analysis indicated that self-esteem (mediator 1) and internalizing problems (mediator 2) sequentially mediated the path from CM to depressive symptoms in the overall and male population. Moreover, with externalizing problems as mediator 2, self-esteem (mediator 1) acted as a partial mediator in the association between CM and depressive symptoms in males, whereas externalizing problems played a complete mediating role in females. CONCLUSION: Findings revealed that self-esteem and internalizing problems sequentially mediated the influence of CM on depressive symptoms whereas externalizing problems played an independent mediating role. In addition, sex differences need to be taken into consideration when designing prevention and intervention strategies, given the different psychosocial processes between boys and girls.

Bullying victimization and internalizing and externalizing problems in school-aged children: The mediating role of sleep disturbance and the moderating role of parental attachment.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that bullying victimization may be related to internalizing and externalizing problems; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unknown. This study explored the mediating role of sleep disturbance and the moderating role of parental attachment. METHODS: A total of 1543 Chinese primary school students (M age = 8.92 years, SD1.7 years; range, 6-12) completed bullying victimization, sleep disturbance, and parental attachment measures, and provided information on their parents' occupations. The parents or guardians (n = 1995) also completed ratings on their children's internalizing and externalizing problems. RESULTS: It was found that bullying victimization directly affected internalizing and externalizing problems and also influenced sleep disturbance. Regardless of the parent's socioeconomic status, parental attachment was found to moderate the relationship between bullying victimization and internalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: These findings contribute to understanding the partial mediating mechanism of sleep disturbance in the association between bullying victimization and internalizing and externalizing problems. The protective role of parental attachment proved central to preventing internalizing problems in bullied children. Intervention programs that enhance parental attachment and improve sleep quality could assist in mitigating the impact of bullying victimization on internalizing or externalizing problems.

Co-Developmental Trajectories of Parental Psychological Distress and Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: Associations with Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts.

Growing evidence has suggested that parental mental illness and child internalizing and externalizing problems tend to co-occur and engender risk for adverse child outcomes; however, there is considerable heterogeneity in their joint developmental trajectories. This study aimed to evaluate the joint developmental trajectories of maternal and paternal psychological distress and child internalizing and externalizing problems from early childhood to middle adolescence. Given that suicide and self-harm are major public health issues in adolescence and often occur in the context of other mental health issues, we also examined the association between these joint trajectories and these outcomes in adolescence. Parallel-process latent class growth analysis was applied to 14 years of follow-up data from a large-scale, nationally representative sample of youths participating in the UK's Millennium Cohort Study (MCS; n = 12,520, 50.9% male). Results showed the best-fitting solution had four trajectory classes: (1) low symptoms, 59.0%; (2) moderate symptoms in children, 22.5%; (3) notable symptoms in fathers, 10.7%; and (4) co-occurring maternal and child symptoms, 7.8%. The trajectory groups differed in their self-harm and suicide attempts in adolescence, underscoring the possible importance of the roles of both parental distress and child problem behaviors processes in these outcomes. Future studies will be valuable to rigorously test the directionality and the respective roles of parents and children in this association. Our findings suggest the need for two-generation mental health intervention programs that are tailored based on co-developmental trajectory group membership.

Couple's Relationship during the Transition to Parenthood and Toddler's Emotional and Behavioral Problems.

The literature has mainly focused on the impact of the negative aspects of the couple's relationship on the toddler's internalizing and externalizing problems. This study explored the impact of the positive and negative dimensions of the couple's relationship during the transition to parenthood on toddlers' psychological adjustment, considering the concurrent impact of the couple's relationship at 30 months postpartum. The sample comprised 115 mothers and fathers (N = 230) recruited during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. The mothers and fathers individually completed a measure of the couple's relationship (Relationship Questionnaire) during the first trimester of pregnancy, at 3 and 30 months postpartum, and the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 at 30 months postpartum. Multiple linear regressions, cluster analyses, and univariate and multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. The positive dimension at the 1st trimester of pregnancy and the negative dimension of the couple's relationship at 3 months postpartum were the strongest predictors of the toddler's internalizing problems, while the negative dimension at 3 months postpartum and the positive dimension of the couple's relationship at 30 months postpartum were the strongest predictors of the toddler's externalizing problems. Two patterns of the couple's relationship (adjusted vs. non-adjusted) during the transition to parenthood were identified. Higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems were found in toddlers from couples with a non-adjusted couple's relationship. Findings suggested the impact of both positive and negative dimensions of the couple's relationship during the transition to parenthood on the toddler's emotional and behavioral problems. Promoting the couple's relationship adjustment during the transition to parenthood can help to prevent toddlers' emotional and behavioral problems.

Gender-specific co-developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems from middle childhood to early adolescence: Environmental and individual predictors.

This study aimed to identify gender-specific co-developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems from middle childhood to early adolescence, along with key environmental and individual predictors among Chinese youth. A total of 1653 Chinese elementary school students (M age = 9.40; SD = 0.51; 54.57% boys) participated in assessments at six time points, using 6-month assessment intervals. Parallel process latent class growth modeling identified four trajectories for boys: Congruent-low (65.74%), moderate-decreasing internalizing and moderate-stable externalizing problems (18.40%), high increasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems (8.20%), and high decreasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems (7.65%). Three trajectories were identified for girls: Congruent-low (81.09%), moderate co-occurring (7.19%), and high increasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems (11.72%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that peer victimization served as an environmental risk predictor for the adverse co-developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems for boys and girls. High sensation-seeking and low self-control served as individual risk variables predicting the trajectories of high increasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems, and low self-control also predicted the trajectories of high decreasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems for boys. The findings highlight the importance of gender differences in understanding the progression of internalizing and externalizing problems and inform effective strategies for prevention and intervention.

Mean-level correspondence and moment-to-moment synchrony in adolescent and parent affect: Exploring associations with adolescent age and internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Interactions with parents are integral in shaping the development of children's emotional processes. Important aspects of these interactions are overall (mean level) affective experience and affective synchrony (linkages between parent and child affect across time). Respectively, mean-level affect and affective synchrony reflect aspects of the content and structure of dyadic interactions. Most research on parent-child affect during dyadic interactions has focused on infancy and early childhood; adolescence, however, is a key period for both normative emotional development and the emergence of emotional disorders. We examined affect in early to mid-adolescents (N = 55, Mage = 12.27) and their parents using a video-mediated recall task of 10-min conflict-topic discussions. Using multilevel modeling, we found evidence of significant level-2 effects (mean affect) and level-1 effects (affective synchrony) for parents and their adolescents. Level-2 and level-1 associations were differentially moderated by adolescent age and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. More specifically, parent-adolescent synchrony was stronger when adolescents were older and had more internalizing problems. Further, more positive adolescent mean affect was associated with more positive parent affect (and vice versa), but only for dyads with low adolescent externalizing problems. Results underscore the importance of additional research examining parent-child affect in adolescence.

Longitudinal Relations Between Child Maltreatment in Families and Psychological Maltreatment by Teachers: The Mediating Roles of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among Chinese Children.

Relationships in the family (e.g., child maltreatment in families) and school environments (e.g., psychological maltreatment by teachers) are influential in children's socialization, but how family and teacher-student domains mutually affect each other and which mediating mechanisms are involved in cross-domain spillover at the within-person level are not well understood. This study examined the bidirectional relations between child maltreatment in families and psychological maltreatment by teachers and whether internalizing and externalizing problems functioned as mediators between them after separating between-person effects from within-person effects. A total of 4270 Chinese children (54.9% boys; Mage = 9.92; SD = 0.51) participated in a five-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals. Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling mainly found that: (1) Child maltreatment in families predicted psychological maltreatment by teachers, and vice versa; (2) child maltreatment in families influenced psychological maltreatment by teachers through externalizing problems; child maltreatment in families affected the likelihood of psychological maltreatment by teachers via the sequential effect from internalizing problems to externalizing problems at the within-person level; and (3) internalizing and externalizing problems mediated the longitudinal relations from psychological maltreatment by teachers to child maltreatment in families separately. Findings demonstrated bidirectional spillover effects in the domains of family and teacher-student relationships, suggesting that children may be trapped in a vicious cycle of negative relationships through internalizing and externalizing problems, either directly or indirectly. Thus, these two domains influence each other through children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Interventions aimed at addressing maltreatment should include family, school, and individual (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) components to prevent a downward spiral.

Parent-Child Discrepancies in Perceived Parental Emotion Socialization: Associations with Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Chinese Families.

Parental emotion socialization is highly associated with children's internalizing and externalizing problems. However, research on parent-child discrepancies in parental emotion socialization perceptions and their relationship with children's developmental outcomes remains limited. This study explores the relationship between parent-child discrepancies in their reports of parental emotion socialization and children's internalizing/externalizing problems in Chinese families. The participants were 390 children (55% girls, Mage = 11.70 years, SDage = 1.17) and their primary caregivers (68% mother, Mage = 39.52 years, SDage = 5.23). A latent profile analysis identified three profiles of parent-child discrepancies in supportive parental emotion socialization and four profiles in non-supportive parental emotion socialization. Children with more negative perceptions of parental emotion socialization than their parents exhibited the most internalizing and externalizing problems. The parent-child perception difference of the supportive dimension connected to internalizing and externalizing problems, while the perception difference of the non-supportive dimension connected only to internalizing problems. These findings advocate for the conceptualization of perceptions of parent-child discrepancies within family dynamics, which may predict children's developmental outcomes.

Bidirectional spillover between maladaptive parenting and peer victimization and the mediating roles of internalizing and externalizing problems: A within-person analysis among Chinese early adolescents.

Parenting practices and relationships with peers are crucial aspects of youth socialization. Although theoretically expected reciprocal associations between changes in maladaptive parenting and adolescent peer victimization exist, there is a lack of studies that examine this link and address the mediating mechanisms at the within-person level. This longitudinal study examined reciprocal relations between peer victimization and two types of maladaptive parenting including harsh punishment and psychological control, and the potential mediating roles of internalizing and externalizing problems within these relations, by disentangling between- and within-person effects. A total of 4,731 Chinese early adolescents (44.9% girls; M age = 10.91 years, SD = 0.72) participated in a four-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals. The results of random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling showed: (a) harsh punishment did not directly predict peer victimization, and vice versa; (b) psychological control directly predicted peer victimization, and vice versa; (c) psychological control indirectly predicted peer victimization via internalizing problems, and peer victimization also indirectly predicted psychological control via internalizing problems. These findings provide evidence of a bidirectional spillover effect between psychological control and peer victimization at the within-person level, suggesting Chinese early adolescents may become caught in a vicious cycle directly or indirectly via their internalizing problems.