RESUMO
A strong relationship exists between maternal depression and externalizing and internalizing problems in children, and caregiving burden might mediate this relationship. Yet, caregiving burden has rarely been tested as a mechanism underlying the relationship between maternal depression and child emotional and behavioral outcomes. Caregiving burden might be especially high in ethnic and racial minority mother-child dyads in low-income settings where there are more stressors in the environment and rates of maternal depression are elevated. A path analysis with 132 low-income urban mothers who mostly identified as racial and ethnic minorities confirmed our hypothesis that maternal depression has a direct effect on child externalizing and internalizing problems, and also an indirect effect through caregiving burden. We discuss implications of the findings with respect to research, practice, and policy with low-income, ethnic and racial minority families whose mothers have depression and care for children who exhibit externalizing and internalizing problems.
Assuntos
Sintomas Comportamentais/psicologia , Educação Infantil/psicologia , Filho de Pais com Deficiência/psicologia , Transtorno Depressivo/psicologia , Grupos Minoritários/psicologia , Mães/psicologia , Pobreza/psicologia , População Urbana , Adulto , Sintomas Comportamentais/epidemiologia , Criança , Filho de Pais com Deficiência/estatística & dados numéricos , Pré-Escolar , Transtorno Depressivo/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Grupos Minoritários/estatística & dados numéricos , Mães/estatística & dados numéricos , Pobreza/estatística & dados numéricos , População Urbana/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
This study examined the within-family and between-family associations between fathers' military-related PTSD symptoms and parent ratings of children's behavioral and emotional problems. The sample included married couples (N = 419) with children composed of a civilian wife and an active-duty husband serving in the U.S. Army. Results indicate that changes in fathers' PTSD symptoms over time were associated with corresponding changes in both mothers' and fathers' reports of child behavioral and emotional problems. These within-family findings were independent from between-family effects, which showed that higher average PTSD symptomatology was associated with more overall behavioral and emotional problems for children. This study uses advances in statistical methodologies to increase knowledge about how PTSD symptoms and child problems are related, both across different families and over time within families.