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Author: Miller, Portia
Resulting in 4 citations.
1. Miller, Portia
Betancur, Laura
Whitfield, Kendra
Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth
Examining Income Dynamics and Externalizing and Internalizing Trajectories through a Developmental Psychopathology Lens: A Nationally Representative Study
Development and Psychopathology 33,1 (2021): 1-17.
Also: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419001494
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Family Income; Income Dynamics/Shocks

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Prior research has documented elevations in levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors among children in lower income families in comparison to more advantaged peers. However, most studies focus on behavior problems at a single point in time or within a short developmental period. Associations between income dynamics and developmental trajectories of behavior problems over time are less understood. To address this, the current study uses data from the National Longitudinal [Survey] of Youth (N = 7,476; 50.8% male) to examine how income dynamics (annual income and income volatility) across three distinct developmental periods from early childhood to early adolescence relate to trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems. Group-based mixture modeling revealed a five-group trajectory model for externalizing behavior and a four-group trajectory model for internalizing behavior. Higher cumulative annual income predicted greater likelihood of belonging to the low-stable group compared to the other, more problematic groups for both externalizing and internalizing trajectories. In addition, income losses predicted higher risk of membership in any group other than the low-stable group for internalizing and externalizing behavior. Developmental period-specific income dynamics, though not as consistent as cumulative dynamics, also predicted trajectory group membership.
Bibliography Citation
Miller, Portia, Laura Betancur, Kendra Whitfield and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. "Examining Income Dynamics and Externalizing and Internalizing Trajectories through a Developmental Psychopathology Lens: A Nationally Representative Study." Development and Psychopathology 33,1 (2021): 1-17.
2. Miller, Portia
Podvysotska, Tamara
Betancur, Laura
Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth
Wealth and Child Development: Differences in Associations by Family Income and Developmental Stage
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 7,3 Wealth Inequality and Child Development: Implications for Policy and Practice (August 2021): 154-174.
Also: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7758/rsf.2021.7.3.07
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Family Income; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Wealth

Wealth inequality is at a historic high in the United States. Yet little is known about the implications of wealth on children's development because research has focused mainly on the role of wealth in shaping outcomes in adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 8,095), we examine how family wealth relates to achievement and behavior problems during early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Further, we explore whether links between wealth and children's development vary by level of income and income volatility. Results show that wealth, controlling for income level and volatility, is uniquely related to both academic and behavioral development in early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Moreover, evidence suggests that wealth plays a buffering role when it comes to protecting children's development from the deleterious effects of low family income, especially as children grow older.
Bibliography Citation
Miller, Portia, Tamara Podvysotska, Laura Betancur and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. "Wealth and Child Development: Differences in Associations by Family Income and Developmental Stage." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 7,3 Wealth Inequality and Child Development: Implications for Policy and Practice (August 2021): 154-174.
3. Miller, Portia
Whitfield, Kendra
Betancur, Laura
Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth
Income Dynamics and Behavior Problems in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, and the Transition to Adolescence
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 77 (November-December 2021): 101345.
Also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397321001088
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Children, Behavioral Development; Family Income; Income Dynamics/Shocks

Income inequality and volatility have reached historically high levels in the U.S. Despite prior research documenting income disparities in externalizing and internalizing problems, studies have not delineated how aspects of income dynamics (i.e., annual income level versus income volatility) are linked to externalizing and internalizing across childhood. This study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and its child supplement (N = 8942) to examine associations between income dynamics and externalizing and internalizing in early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence. Annual income had negative associations with both externalizing and internalizing. Income losses related to higher externalizing and internalizing throughout development. Considering timing-specific income dynamics, both early childhood income and contemporaneous income negatively predicted behavioral functioning, while only contemporaneous income loss related to increased symptoms. Results illustrate that early childhood income is key to behavioral development, but income dynamics throughout childhood also relate to behavioral functioning.
Bibliography Citation
Miller, Portia, Kendra Whitfield, Laura Betancur and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. "Income Dynamics and Behavior Problems in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, and the Transition to Adolescence." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 77 (November-December 2021): 101345.
4. Whitfield, Kendra
Betancur, Laura
Miller, Portia
Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth
Longitudinal Links between Income Dynamics and Young Adult Socioeconomic and Behavioral Health Outcomes
Youth and Society 53,7 (2021): 1181-1210.
Also: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0044118X21996382
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Sage Publications
Keyword(s): Childbearing, Adolescent; Childhood Adversity/Trauma; Depression (see also CESD); Economic Well-Being; Family Income; Income Dynamics/Shocks

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Longitudinal links between childhood family income and adult outcomes are well documented. However, research on childhood income volatility and young adult outcomes is limited. This study utilizes data from the NLSY (N = 6,410) to examine how childhood family income and income volatility relate to socioeconomic outcomes and mental/behavioral health in emerging adulthood. Results show that lower childhood income was associated with young adult socioeconomic and behavioral health outcomes. Higher income volatility was associated with increased depression and teen parenthood during young adulthood. Additional analyses examining trajectories of income volatility illustrated that children in families with unstable income trajectories (i.e., frequent income losses and gains) showed higher depression scores than those with stable trajectories. These findings suggest that income volatility, not just income level or income loss, is important to consider when studying economic disparities in young adult outcomes. Implications for policies and programs for low-income, high-volatility households are discussed.
Bibliography Citation
Whitfield, Kendra, Laura Betancur, Portia Miller and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. "Longitudinal Links between Income Dynamics and Young Adult Socioeconomic and Behavioral Health Outcomes." Youth and Society 53,7 (2021): 1181-1210.