Background: Verbal difficulties have been shown to be related to externalizing behavior in children. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between externalizing behavior and...Show moreBackground: Verbal difficulties have been shown to be related to externalizing behavior in children. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between externalizing behavior and difficulties in verbal memory, receptive language ability and verbal mentalizing ability. This helps us to uncover whether this combination of verbal difficulties forms a meaningful profile in predicting externalizing behavior and its treatment. Methods: The sample is derived of the Preventive Intervention Trajectory (PIT) and consists of 215 children aged 6 to 14. Within PIT, children with (sub)clinical levels of externalizing behavior receive a prolonged, preventive intervention tailored to their cognitive strengths and difficulties. Assessment of cognitive abilities includes measures of verbal memory (15-Words test), receptive language ability (CELF-4 subtest Concepts and Following Directions), and verbal mentalizing ability (Social Cognitive Abilities test (SCVT)). Results: Findings showed that verbal memory, receptive language ability and verbal mentalizing ability were not consistently positively correlated among each other. The combination of verbal abilities was modestly predictive of externalizing behavior. This predictive relationship was not significant when children were divided by verbal profile. Children with verbally weak profiles did not exhibit significantly more externalizing behavior than children with verbally strong profiles and both groups showed the same significant decrease in externalizing behavior after six months of treatment for their behavioral problems. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the combination of children’s verbal memory, receptive language ability and verbal mentalizing ability cannot be considered a meaningful profile in relation to externalizing behavior, as no differences emerged in externalizing behavior between children with weak verbal abilities and children with strong verbal abilities. The PIT intervention proved to be effective in reducing externalizing behavior, irrespective of verbal ability.Show less
