The Family Stress Model in Norway: Exploring the Role of Child Temperament

• In Event: Pathways From Early Risk to Child Adjustment: A new Look at the Family, Neighborhoods, and Schools

Abstract

Children growing up in low-income families are at increased risk for adverse outcomes across many developmental domains (Dearing, 2014; Duncan, et al., 2015). This association is commonly explained by using the Family Stress Model (FSM), which suggests that economic adversities in the early years create ripple effects on children’s development by influencing parental distress, poor parenting practices (e.g., Gershoff, et al., 2007), and poor interpersonal relationships (e.g., Neppl, et al., 2016). Yet, less is known about whether child characteristics may interfere with family processes, potentially mitigating or exacerbating the adverse effects of low family income on family stressors and children’s outcomes (Conger, & Conger, 2002; Masarik, & Conger, 2017). In the present study, we proposed that low family income carries a greater risk for behavior problems when combined with child’s negative emotionality (see Paulussen-Hoogeboom, et al., 2007).

We tested the original FSM across three time points (at birth, age 3 and age 5), and extended the model by testing moderating role of child negative emotionality. We specifically investigated the extent to which; (1) average family income is associated with children’s behavior problems at age five, (2) the association between family income and behavior problems is mediated through maternal distress, marital satisfaction, and parental control measured at age three, and (3) children’s level of negative emotionality moderates the influence of low family income on children’s behavior problems.

We used a population-based data, the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), targeting the 2004-2008 cohorts (approx. 102.575 children) who completed measures of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, maternal distress, parental control, marital satisfaction, and negative emotionality at specified time points. Information on average family income in the first three years of life was retrieved from Norwegian population registries.

We applied structural equation modeling to estimate the proposed direct, indirect, and moderating associations. Family stressors (aka maternal distress, parental control, and marital satisfaction) are treated as latent variables, while child negative emotionality and family income are included as observed variables. We used bias-corrected bootstrapping method to estimate proposed indirect effects and multigroup analysis to test the moderating effects.

The proposed measurement models fitted the data well. Overall structural model yielded acceptable model fit (χ2 (1162) =  50333.468, p < .001, RMSEA = .026, SRMR = .030, CFI = .913, TLI = .904). The results for the indirect effects indicate that families with low income experience more maternal distress, less parental control over the children’s behaviors and less marital satisfaction at age three, which in turn leads to greater problem behaviors at age 5. Regarding multigroup analysis, chi-square difference test showed that our hypothesized FSM model could not be treated as equal across emotionality groups (Δꭓ2 (13) = 91.852, p < .001) (see Figure 1). Low family income had a stronger adverse effect on children’s problem behaviors under high level of negative emotionality. Negative emotionality significantly moderated the FSM pathway comprised of maternal distress and parental control in predicting both problem behaviors. The significant joint mediating role of maternal distress and marital satisfaction in increasing children’s internalizing behaviors was also different across high and low emotionality groups (see Table 1).

Authors

• Gulbin Sengul-Inal, University of Oslo
  Presenting Author

• Henrik D. Zachrisson, University of Oslo

• Nicolai Topstad Borgen, Universitetet i Oslo

• Eric Dearing, Boston College