Heterogeneous classes of co-occurring externalizing symptoms in a sample of youth referred for anxiety disorders

•Latent class analysis was used to examine patterns of externalizing symptoms in anxiety referred youth.•Three distinct class types emerged: (1) High Externalizing, (2) Moderate Externalizing, and (3) Low Externalizing.•The High Externalizing Class was characterized as having a relatively high probability of all ADHD and aggressive symptoms in the clinical range.•The Moderate Externalizing Class was characterized as having a relatively high probability of three symptoms in the clinical range: “argues a lot”, “disobedient at home”, and “fails to finish.”•The Low Externalizing Class was characterized as having a relatively low probability of all ADHD and aggressive symptoms in the clinical range.

The present study used latent class analysis to identify patterns of externalizing symptoms in a predominantly Hispanic sample of clinic referred anxious youth (N = 224; 6–16 years; 54% males) and their parents. Findings revealed that the sample of youth could be classified into three distinct classes: (1) High Externalizing, (2) Moderate Externalizing, and (3) Low Externalizing. The High Externalizing Class was characterized as having a relatively high probability of all ADHD and aggressive symptoms in the clinical range. The Moderate Externalizing Class was characterized as having a relatively high probability of three symptoms in the clinical range: “argues a lot”, “disobedient at home”, and “fails to finish.” The Low Externalizing Class was characterized as having a relatively low probability of all ADHD and aggressive symptoms in the clinical range. The conceptual, empirical, and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.