Peer-reviewed article
Pathways to Maternal and Child Well-Being: Stability and Transaction across Toddlerhood
Laura K. Winstone, Sarah G. Curci, Keith A. Crnic ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The study followed 322 low-income Mexican American mother-child pairs when children were 12, 18, 24 and 36 months old. It looked at minor parenting stress, parenting satisfaction and dysregulation in mother-child interactions. These factors were fairly stable over toddlerhood. Higher stress and dysregulation were linked to more maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems one year later, while higher parenting satisfaction was linked to fewer of both.
Key points
- Minor parenting stress and parenting satisfaction were negatively related at every time point.
- All the constructs showed stability across time.
- Parenting stress predicted greater later dyadic dysregulation.
- Greater dyadic dysregulation and parenting stress predicted more maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems.
- Greater parenting satisfaction predicted fewer maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems.
Limitations
The sample is limited to low-income Mexican American mothers and children in the US, so findings may not apply to other groups or countries. The abstract describes associations over time, not an intervention, and cannot show that these factors cause the outcomes.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examines the development of minor parenting stress, parenting satisfaction, and dyadic dysregulation across early childhood and evaluates their roles in predicting maternal and child well-being one year later. DESIGN: Data was collected from 322 low-income, Mexican American mother-child dyads at child ages 12, 18, 24, and 36 months. Mothers responded to questionnaires during structured interviews, and mother-child dyadic interactions were observed during structured teaching tasks and later coded for global displays of emotional, attentional, and behavioral dysregulation. RESULTS: Cross-lag path analyses revealed negative concurrent relations between minor parenting stress and parenting satisfaction at every time point and stability in constructs across time. Parenting stress predicted greater subsequent dyadic dysregulation. Greater dyadic dysregulation and stress related to parenting predicted more maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems, whereas greater parenting satisfaction predicted less maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems. CONCLUSION: In this minority at-risk population, there was substantial stability in and a lack of transactional relations between minor parenting stresses, parenting satisfaction, and dyadic dysregulation across toddlerhood. These factors are important determinants of maternal and child well-being, with minor parenting stress emerging as particularly powerful.