Poster #16 - Parental Resources in the Relation between Maternal and Paternal Psychological Distress and Child Externalizing Behaviors

• In Event: Poster Session 05

Abstract

Although some disruptive behavior is typical for young children, toddlers who exhibit high levels are at risk for developing later forms of maladjustment (Creavey et al., 2018). Parental psychopathology, like depression, is a commonly investigated risk factor for children’s development of behavior problems (Stein et al., 2014). Notwithstanding parents’ dominant force in children’s developmental trajectory, a bidirectional relationship would suggest that children may also play a role in shaping parent characteristics (Leve & Cichetti, 2016). Apart from the need for additional research on such child evocative effects, examining factors that may contribute to parental psychological distress and its relation with child problem behavior, such as the availability of parental resources, has not been adequately explored. Substantial evidence suggests fewer depressive symptoms are associated with greater social support (Roohafza et al., 2014) and less disengaged coping strategies (Nielsen & Knardahl, 2014). Thus, the current study sought to advance understanding of the associations between maternal and paternal psychopathology and child externalizing behaviors by considering the role of parental resources within a bidirectional model (see Figure 1). This study involved data from a diverse sample of 201 primiparous mothers and 151 of their partners beginning the last trimester of pregnancy and followed until children became 4 years old. Mothers and fathers reported their current psychopathological distress, social support satisfaction, and coping self-efficacy at three waves, including prenatally (Time 1; T1), child age 18 months (Time 3; T3), and child age four (Time 4; T4). Both mothers and fathers also reported their child’s externalizing behavior problems at T3 using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA; Carter & Briggs-Gowan, 2006) and T4 using the preschool Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1.5-5; Rescorla, 2005). Results (see Table 1) indicated that expectant mothers’ own psychological distress marginally predicted their reports of their child’s problem behaviors at T3 but significantly predicted reports of child behavior by T4. However greater maternal-reported child externalizing behaviors at T3 did not predict higher levels of maternal psychopathological distress at T4, indicating no child evocative effects. Mothers’ coping skills at T3 marginally predicted T4 child behavior problems. No evidence of mediation through social support or coping was observed in this model. Fathers’ reports of child externalizing problems were not significantly predicted by their prenatal reports of psychological distress, social support, or coping. Father’s psychological distress at T3 only marginally predicted their reports of child externalizing behaviors by T4. But at T3, greater paternal reports of child externalizing behaviors significantly predicted reports of higher father psychological distress and lower social support satisfaction and marginally predicted their coping at T4, showing some evidence of child evocative effects. Mediation by social support or coping was also not observed in this model. Despite limitations, this study sheds light on the complex mechanisms involved in understanding the emergence of children’s externalizing behavior problems, highlighting the importance of examining not only the impact of parental psychological distress but also the potential role of parental resources and the children themselves, in terms of evocative effects.

Authors

• Abigail J Anderson, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  Presenting Author

• Christina Maria Rodriguez, Old Dominion University