Dynamic Associations among Caregiver Romantic Satisfaction, Depressive Symptoms, and School-aged Child Problem Behavior.

STRUCTURAL equation modeling; PARENTING education; PSYCHOLOGY of parents; ECONOMIC status; RESEARCH methodology; CHILD behavior; INTERVIEWING; SATISFACTION; MENTAL health; DYADIC Adjustment Scale; CRONBACH'S alpha; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; CHILD Behavior Checklist; COMPARATIVE studies; RANDOMIZED controlled trials; PSYCHOLOGY of caregivers; MENTAL depression; CENTER for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; QUESTIONNAIRES; SCALE analysis (Psychology); RESEARCH funding; POVERTY; FAMILY relations; STATISTICAL models; METROPOLITAN areas; DATA analysis software; PARENT-child relationships; STATISTICAL sampling; EDUCATIONAL outcomes; LONGITUDINAL method

PENNSYLVANIA; OREGON

Parental mental health and social relationships are related to children's problem behaviors in a complex way, but the intricate nuances of such effects remain understudied. Within the context of a prospectively followed, randomized controlled trial of a parenting intervention (the Family Check-Up), the current study investigated reciprocal relations among primary caregiver romantic satisfaction, depressive symptoms and children's externalizing behaviors during the school-age period using a sample of low-income families from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. Primary caregiver self-reported romantic satisfaction and depressive symptoms, and caregiver- and teacher-reported child externalizing behavior problems were measured at child ages 7.5, 8.5, and 9.5. To prevent against bias for the inclusion of couples in longer- versus shorter-term relationships in the literature, primary caregivers with different romantic partners across waves of the study were included. Leveraging complex modeling to more thoroughly understand dynamic associations among interparental romantic satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and child problem behavior, nested model comparisons among five models were conducted to assess which model best fit the data in the control and intervention groups separately. For the control group, within a looped, clockwise paths model, child externalizing behaviors positively predicted caregiver depressive symptoms one year later, and caregiver depressive symptoms predicted lower levels of caregiver romantic satisfaction one year later. However, for the intervention group, child externalizing behavior was not related to caregiver depressive symptoms nor to romantic satisfaction across waves. The findings highlight many avenues for prevention and intervention to support positive family processes. Highlights: Dynamic associations among caregiver romantic satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and child externalizing behaviors were examined. The present study used a sample of racially diverse, low-income families participating in a randomized controlled trial of the Family Check-Up. Child problem behaviors predicted cascading associations with caregiver depressive symptoms and romantic satisfaction in the control group. The Family Check-Up intervention appeared to attenuate significant links between child problem behaviors and caregiver depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Child & Family Studies is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)