Maternal Mental Health, Family Conflict, and Children’s Behavior Problems: The Protective Role of Children’s Emotion Regulation

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

There is substantial evidence linking maternal parenting stress and family conflict to children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors (Deater-Deckard, 1998; Schoppe‐Sullivan et al., 2007). Moreover, mothers’ mental health and family conflict are positively correlated (Cummings et al. 2001). To protect children and foster their positive development, it is important to identify the factors that mitigate the unfavorable consequences of mothers’ mental health difficulties and family conflict. In this study, we examined the associations among maternal parenting stress during early childhood and children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors approximately 11 years later, in 5th grade. We also examined the mediating role of family conflict and whether children’s emotion regulation abilities mitigated the contributions of mothers’ parenting stress to children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors.
The participants were 2,977 low-income mothers and their children (51% boys) from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP). Maternal parenting stress was measured when children were 14 months old, using the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995; α = .80). Family conflict was measured when children were 36 months old, using the Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1994; α = .68). Emotion regulation was assessed prior to children’s kindergarten entry, using the Leiter International Performance Scale‐Revised (Leiter-R; Roid & Miller, 1997; α = .94). When children were in 5th Grade, parents (mostly mothers) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach and Rescorla, 2001; α =.91, α =.85) to assess children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors.
We tested two separate moderated-mediation models by outcome of interest in Figure 1 controlling for ethnic descent, child gender, family income, and children’s prior emotionality as measured by the Emotionality, Activity, Sociability Temperament Survey for Children (EASI; Buss and Plomin, 1984; α = .72). Table 1 shows the bivariate correlations, means, standard deviations, and the variable ranges. We found indirect paths from maternal parenting stress to children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors through family conflict. The significant Family Conflict X Emotion Regulation interaction effect indicated that the mediated effects from maternal parenting stress to children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors varied based on children’s emotion regulation. Simple slope tests at low and high levels of children’s emotion regulation (i.e., 1 SD below and above the mean; Aiken & West, 1991) revealed that family conflict mediated the positive association between maternal parenting stress and externalizing behavior both at low child emotion regulation levels, b = .04, S.E. = .01, p = .000, and high child emotion regulation levels, b = .02, S.E. = .01, p = .043; however, the effect was stronger at low emotion regulation levels. Relatedly, the mediated effect between maternal parenting stress and internalizing behavior was significant at low child emotion regulation levels, b = .03, S.E. = .01, p = .005, but not at high levels, b = .01, S.E. = .01, p = .590. The discussion will highlight the mechanisms by which children’s emotion regulation may act as a factor buffering children from the adverse effects of high-risk settings.

Authors

• Rahmet Akpolat, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Francisco Palermo, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Killoren, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jean M Ispa, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author