Pathways from maternal depressive symptoms during childhood to offspring academic performance in adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Maternal depressive symptoms can have pervasive negative effects on children’s socio-emotional adjustment (Goodman et al., 2011), including on their school readiness and academic performance in the elementary school years (Baker & Iruka, 2013; Mensah & Kiernan, 2010). Yet, less is known about the long-term effects of maternal depression on their children’s academic performance into adolescence, and the pathways that may explain these associations. Mothers with high levels of depressive symptoms may have cross-cutting difficulty providing an ideal environment and parenting efforts to support their child’s adjustment to the school environment. Such cumulative parenting risk behaviors likely impact the development of child skills and behavior that are important for school success such as adaptive skills (e.g. following rules, communicating needs, adapting to unexpected situations), inhibitory control (e.g. concentrating on classwork instead of talking with a friend) and good mental health (i.e. low levels of depressive symptoms).
We used six time points from child age 2 to 15 in a longitudinal multi-informant community study (N =389) to examine whether the association of maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent academic performance can be explained by a chain of events through 1) the accumulation of school-relevant negative parenting behaviors and home environment (i.e., “school-relevant parenting risk”), and consequently 2) child adaptive skills, inhibitory control and mental health (i.e., “child school-related functioning”).
A latent factor was created from maternal reports of depressive symptoms when children were ages 2, 4, and 5 years old. A cumulative school-relevant parenting risk score was created based on six parent- and teacher-rated and observed indicators in 2nd grade (i.e. low school involvement, low stimulation in home environment, home chaos, inconsistent discipline, parenting stress and maternal hostility). Adaptive skills were teacher-rated, inhibitory control laboratory-based and child depressive symptoms were child-reported in 5th grade. Academic performance in 10th grade was assessed with grade-point average (GPA) and standardized achievement scores assessed with the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Second Edition (WIAT-II; Wechsler, 2005). Path models and indirect effects were estimated in Mplus.
Results revealed significant bivariate associations of maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent academic performance (rGPA = -.13, rWIAT-II= -.14). We found significant indirect effects from elevated maternal depressive symptoms to GPA (-.024, 95%CI = [-.043, -.008]) and standardized achievement (-.025, 95%CI = [-.042, -.011]) through increased school-relevant parenting risk and lower levels of child school-related functioning (see Figure 1 for model coefficients). Results further revealed unique indirect effects from elevated maternal depressive symptoms to lower adolescent academic performance through cumulative school-relevant parenting risk and subsequent lower adaptive skills; and through cumulative school-relevant parenting risk to lower standardized achievement (see Table 1 for significant indirect effects).
Our results suggest that maternal depressive symptoms in childhood may be followed by a chain of risk, including by the impairment of several dimensions of school-relevant parenting and subsequent school-related child functioning, which, in turn, could impair children’s future educational and professional opportunities. This study highlights the importance of supporting mothers and their mental health to ensure optimal rearing conditions for productive child development.

Authors

• Laura Bechtiger, University of Zurich
  Presenting Author

• Annekatrin Steinhoff, University of Zurich
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jessica Dollar, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Simone Emily Halliday, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Susan Phillips Keane, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Susan D Calkins, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lilly Shanahan, University of Zurich
  Non-Presenting Author