Child health and psychosocial wellness in the context of maternal role overload and depression

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the variability of child health and psychosocial outcomes in the context of maternal role overload and maternal depression.

Background

Role overload, characterized as time-based role stress, is commonly linked to depression in mothers. However, it remains uncertain whether maternal role overload poses a risk for negative child health and wellness. Although maternal depression is a known risk factor for poor child health and psychosocial outcomes, the outcomes themselves often reveal variability.

Method

This study aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of child health and psychosocial outcomes using latent profile analyses. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in profile membership based on the child's experiences of maternal role overload and depression. Data were from 1,172 mother–child dyads from the Family Matters study.

Results

The analyses unveiled four distinct profiles (i.e., moderate health/psychosocial wellness, poor health/moderate psychosocial wellness, struggling health/poor psychosocial wellness, thriving health/psychosocial wellness), each associated with varying levels of health and psychosocial wellness. Both maternal role overload and depression were found to heighten the risk of poor health and psychosocial wellness in children.

Conclusion

Children with struggling and poor health and psychosocial outcomes had higher odds of maternal depression and maternal role overload than children in the thriving profile. These findings suggest that maternal role overload is a potential risk to child health and psychosocial outcomes.

Implications

These findings emphasize the importance of continuous depression screening in mothers and the implementation of solution-focused interventions targeting maternal role overload.