The Relationship of Child Temperament, Maternal Parenting Stress, Maternal Child Interaction and Child Health Rating

Shelagh J. Larkin, Melanie Otis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Considering the relationship between maternal and child factors that influence child health is key to understanding child wellbeing. Several studies have considered the contributions of familial and environmental factors on child health outcomes. Expanding on this research, this study examines child temperament, maternal parenting stress, and maternal–child interaction as predictors of child health, while controlling for poverty, parental relationship status, and the number of children in the household factors known to impact health. Multinomial regression analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study year one data set, n = 3712, was conducted to test three hypotheses: higher child emotionality will be predictive of lower child health rating, higher parenting stress will be predictive of lower child health ratings, and, higher levels of maternal–child interaction will be predictive of higher child health ratings. Findings indicated that all study variables were significant predictors of child health ratings [− 2 Log likelihood = 6657.40, χ2 215.661, p <.001, Nagelkerke R2.067], demonstrating the importance of temperament, parenting stress, and maternal–child interaction when considering child health. Social workers working with children and families in a variety of settings may want to target these factors to improve health outcomes of children.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)631-640
Number of pages10
JournalChild and Adolescent Social Work Journal
Volume36
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

  • Child health
  • Maternal–child interaction
  • Parenting stress
  • Temperament

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • General Social Sciences

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