Both internalizing problems and especially co-occurring problems tended to be linked to sadness, whereas sadness did not predict solely externalizing problems versus control status. Adult-reported sadness sometimes also predicted pure internalizing versus pure externalizing status. Change in sadness was also associated with undesirable patterns of change over time in both internalizing and externalizing symptoms, although the pattern for externalizing was relatively weak when change in internalizing problems was controlled in the analyses. Thus, sadness appeared more closely linked to internalizing than externalizing problems and may differentiate pure internalizing children from those who also have externalizing problems. As children mature, those with pure externalizing problems may be less likely to show sadness and may experience anger more frequently than sadness. Perhaps such children are particularly prone to rumination over angry thoughts (Whitmer & Banich, 2007).
