External and internal symptoms in children and characteristics of the family system: A comparison of the linear and circumplex models

This study investigated families of children with internalized versus externalized symptoms according to linear and curvilinear conceptions of the circumplex model. Two family characteristics were examined: cohesion and adaptability. It was hypothesized that families of children with externalized symptoms would be more likely to be classified as chaotic and disengaged, whereas families of children with internalized symptoms would be more likely to be classified as rigid and enmeshed. Participants included 118 nuclear, two-parent families with a "target child" age 10-17. The research sample comprised 3 groups: 35 families with an externalizing child, 46 families with an internalizing child, and 37 families with nonsymptomatic children. The results supported the hypotheses in part, in that only the dimension of family cohesion was associated to children's symptoms. The data revealed that, on the curvilinear model, the families of externalizing children were located most frequently in the disengaged domain. On the linear model, this group obtained the lowest scores of family cohesion. Families of children with internalized problems were found with almost equal frequency in enmeshed and disengaged areas of the curvilinear model. On the linear model, this group was located midway between families with externalizing children and families with nonsymptomatic children, and did not differ significantly from either of these groups.