Does Maternal Mental Health and Maternal Stress Affect Preschoolers’ Behavioral Symptoms?

(1) Background: Maternal stress and depression are considered risk factors in children’s socioemotional development, also showing high prevalence worldwide. (2) Method: Participants correspond to a longitudinal sample of 6335 mother/child pairs (18–72 months), who were surveyed in 2010 and then in 2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children (Basel) 2021-09, Vol.8 (9), p.816
Main Authors: Santelices, María Pía, Irarrázaval, Matías, Jervis, Pamela, Brotfeld, Cristian, Cisterna, Carla, Gallardo, Ana María
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
behavioral problems
Caregivers
Children & youth
Families & family life
maternal depression
Mental depression
Mental health
Mothers
parental stress
Parents & parenting
Pediatrics
Polls & surveys
Socioeconomic factors
Stress
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Summary:(1) Background: Maternal stress and depression are considered risk factors in children’s socioemotional development, also showing high prevalence worldwide. (2) Method: Participants correspond to a longitudinal sample of 6335 mother/child pairs (18–72 months), who were surveyed in 2010 and then in 2012. The hypothesis was tested with SEM analysis, setting the child’s internalized/externalized problems as dependent variable, maternal depression as independent variable, and stress as a partial mediator. (3) Results: Both depression during pregnancy and recent depression has not only a direct effect on the internalizing and externalizing symptomatology of the child, but also an indirect effect through parental stress. Significant direct and indirect relationships were found. (4) Conclusions: Maternal depression and the presence of parental stress can influence children’s behavioral problems, both internalizing and externalizing.
ISSN:2227-9067
2227-9067
DOI:10.3390/children8090816