Poverty and Behavior Problems during Early Childhood: The Mediating Role of Maternal Depression Symptoms and Parenting

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://sagepub.com

Y

11

Poverty; Behavior Problems; Young Children; Mothers; Parent Influence; Depression (Psychology); Child Rearing; Correlation; Family Environment; Aggression; Hyperactivity; Age Differences; Longitudinal Studies; Regression (Statistics); Probability; Parenting Styles; Foreign Countries; Check Lists; Child Behavior; Questionnaires; Interviews; Statistical Analysis

10.1177/0165025416657615

0165-0254

Poverty is a well-established risk factor for behavior problems, yet our understanding of putative family mediators during early childhood (i.e., before age 5 years) is limited. The present study investigated whether the association between poverty and behavior problems during early childhood is mediated simultaneously by perceived parenting, family dysfunction and/or maternal depression symptoms. Outcomes measures were high trajectories of physical aggression and hyperactivity between 1.5 and 5 years. Poverty was defined as living 2-4 years below the low-income thresholds defined by Statistics Canada. Using data from the first five rounds of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, logistic regressions models showed that poverty was associated with a higher likelihood of being assigned to the high trajectory of physical aggression and hyperactivity. Overprotection and maternal depression symptoms mediated observed associations. Interventions targeting maternal depression, parenting, and poverty should help reducing children's risk for early behavior problems.

As Provided

58

2017

EJ1156987