Internalizing Problems

The Seba library treats Internalizing Problems in 9 passages, across 5 authors (including van der Kolk, Bessel; Ford, Julian D.; Spinazzola, Joseph, Wiersma, Jacquelyn K., Courtois, Christine A).

In the library

Traumatically victimized children are at risk not only for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also for multiple internalizing and externalizing psychiatric disorders

Van der Kolk and colleagues argue that complex developmental trauma uniquely generates comorbid internalizing psychopathology beyond PTSD, and that interpersonal violence may specifically account for the relationship between non-interpersonal trauma and internalizing psychiatric morbidity.

van der Kolk, Bessel; Ford, Julian D.; Spinazzola, Joseph, Comorbidity of Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Findings from the DTD Field Trial, 2019thesis

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

sandplay therapy was equally effective across the domains of internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and the behavioral symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Wiersma's meta-analysis establishes empirically that sandplay therapy produces large composite effect sizes across internalizing, externalizing, and ADHD symptom domains, positioning the modality as comparably evidence-based to other psychodynamic therapies.

Wiersma, Jacquelyn K., A Meta-Analysis of Sandplay Therapy Treatment Outcomes, 2022thesis

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

beyond existing DSM-IV-TR diagnoses, e. g., PTSD or other internalizing or externalizing childhood disorders

Courtois draws on van der Kolk's Developmental Trauma Disorder framework to argue that internalizing childhood disorders represent an inadequate and incomplete diagnostic lens for capturing the full range of complex traumatic stress impairment in children.

Courtois, Christine A, Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders (Adults) thesis

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

Improvements in overall behaviors, externalizing and internalizing behavior problems

Roesler's review of effectiveness studies documents pre-post improvements in both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems across sandplay therapy trials with children presenting emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Roesler, Christian, Sandplay therapy: An overview of theory, applications and evidence base, 2019supporting

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

BASC-internalizing 0.37 28 EB problems, RCT NT Child Ind 10 School Other

The meta-analysis tabulates individual study effect sizes for internalizing outcomes measured by the BASC, situating sandplay therapy's impact on internalizing problems within a controlled, school-based, randomized design.

Wiersma, Jacquelyn K., A Meta-Analysis of Sandplay Therapy Treatment Outcomes, 2022supporting

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

Separate meta-analyses were performed on the measures of internalizing, externalizing, and ADHD symptoms.

Wiersma describes the analytic strategy of disaggregating outcome domains, treating internalizing problems as a distinct and separately analyzable construct within the broader sandplay therapy evidence base.

Wiersma, Jacquelyn K., A Meta-Analysis of Sandplay Therapy Treatment Outcomes, 2022supporting

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

Traumatized children, particularly if the psychological traumas involved pervasive violence, neglect, or abuse by persons whom the child otherwise would have reason to trust — often report persistent chronic or episodic physical discomfort, distress, and illness symptoms

Courtois links early interpersonal trauma to somatization as an internalizing trajectory, framing persistent somatic distress as a developmentally organized response to violated trust relationships.

Courtois, Christine A, Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders (Adults) supporting

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

The meta-analysis specifically examined emotional and behavioral outcome measures of treatment with sandplay therapy.

The meta-analysis frames its scope around emotional and behavioral outcome domains — the primary measurement categories within which internalizing problems are operationalized across included studies.

Wiersma, Jacquelyn K., A Meta-Analysis of Sandplay Therapy Treatment Outcomes, 2022supporting

Dig deeper with Sebastian →

Moving away from the world: Life-course patterns of shy children

Schore's citation of Caspi and colleagues' longitudinal data on shy children gestures toward early temperamental and regulatory precursors to internalizing life-course patterns.

Schore, Allan N., Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: The Neurobiology of Emotional Development, 1994aside

Dig deeper with Sebastian →