{"title":"Maternal Processes Contributing to Child Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: Comparing Military, Two-parent, and Single-parent Families","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s10826-024-02798-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <p>Following the United States’ recent engagements in military conflicts, the impact of parent deployment on child adaptation has become an increased focus of research. This study examined the contributions of maternal depressive affect and parenting stress to young children’s (ages 3 to 7) internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. In order to examine how these maternal factors contribute to child well-being, mean level differences and path analysis with group level modelling examined differences between military, single-parent and two-parent civilian families. Mean level differences reflected higher rates of difficulty for military homefront mothers in terms of depressive affect than either single or two-parent families and similar levels of parenting stress with single mothers. Military children demonstrated higher rates of internalizing or externalizing symptoms than children in single or two-parent families. Path analysis results indicated group level differences in links between maternal depressive affect and internalizing symptoms, with military families having stronger associations than single parent families. No group level differences were found between maternal depressive affect and externalizing symptoms. Associations between parenting stress and internalizing symptoms were stronger for military families than two parent families but weaker than single parent families, while the links between parenting stress and externalizing symptoms were the same for military and for single-parent families. These findings have important implications regarding potential intervention/prevention approaches for military families, suggesting that it may be particularly beneficial to target homefront mothers’ depressive affect and parenting stress during deployment as a means for promoting positive child outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":48362,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child and Family Studies","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Child and Family Studies","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02798-y","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Following the United States’ recent engagements in military conflicts, the impact of parent deployment on child adaptation has become an increased focus of research. This study examined the contributions of maternal depressive affect and parenting stress to young children’s (ages 3 to 7) internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. In order to examine how these maternal factors contribute to child well-being, mean level differences and path analysis with group level modelling examined differences between military, single-parent and two-parent civilian families. Mean level differences reflected higher rates of difficulty for military homefront mothers in terms of depressive affect than either single or two-parent families and similar levels of parenting stress with single mothers. Military children demonstrated higher rates of internalizing or externalizing symptoms than children in single or two-parent families. Path analysis results indicated group level differences in links between maternal depressive affect and internalizing symptoms, with military families having stronger associations than single parent families. No group level differences were found between maternal depressive affect and externalizing symptoms. Associations between parenting stress and internalizing symptoms were stronger for military families than two parent families but weaker than single parent families, while the links between parenting stress and externalizing symptoms were the same for military and for single-parent families. These findings have important implications regarding potential intervention/prevention approaches for military families, suggesting that it may be particularly beneficial to target homefront mothers’ depressive affect and parenting stress during deployment as a means for promoting positive child outcomes.
期刊介绍：
Journal of Child and Family Studies (JCFS) international, peer-reviewed forum for topical issues pertaining to the behavioral health and well-being of children, adolescents, and their families. Interdisciplinary and ecological in approach, the journal focuses on individual, family, and community contexts that influence child, youth, and family well-being and translates research results into practical applications for providers, program implementers, and policymakers. Original papers address applied and translational research, program evaluation, service delivery, and policy matters that affect child, youth, and family well-being. Topic areas include but are not limited to: enhancing child, youth/young adult, parent, caregiver, and/or family functioning; prevention and intervention related to social, emotional, or behavioral functioning in children, youth, and families; cumulative effects of risk and protective factors on behavioral health, development, and well-being; the effects both of exposure to adverse childhood events and assets/protective factors; child abuse and neglect, housing instability and homelessness, and related ecological factors influencing child and family outcomes.
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