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Stability and Change in Longitudinal Associations between Child Behavior Problems and Maternal Stress in Families

Inger P Landsem1,2, Bjørn H Handegård3, Per I Kaaresen4,5

  • 1Child- and Adolescent Department, University Hospital of North Norway, 9016 Tromsø, Norway. inger.pauline.landsem@unn.no.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 3, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The Mother-Infant Transaction Program (MITP) did not alter long-term mother-child adaptation in preterm children. However, MITP mothers showed weaker stress-behavior links, particularly for attentional issues, influenced by birth weight and maternal education.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Maternal Health

Background:

  • The Tromsø Intervention Study on Preterms (TISP) previously showed benefits of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program (MITP) for preterm infants and mothers.
  • Longitudinal adaptation and the interplay between maternal stress and child behavior problems require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal impact of the MITP on mother-child adaptation from ages two to nine years.
  • To analyze associations between child behavioral problems and maternal parenting stress over time within the TISP cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal analysis of data from 146 preterm-born children and their mothers randomized to MITP or a control group.
  • Statistical modeling to assess interactions between parenting stress, group status (MITP vs. control), and time on child behavior problems.
  • Examination of moderating effects of birth weight and maternal education on stress-behavior associations.

Main Results:

  • No significant three-way interaction (stress*group*time) was found, indicating MITP did not alter the development of longitudinal stress-behavior associations.
  • Significant stress by group interactions were observed for children's attentional problems, with MITP mothers reporting weaker associations.
  • The effect of MITP on stress-behavior associations was moderated by birth weight and maternal education for parent-child difficult interaction stress.

Conclusions:

  • The MITP did not significantly influence the longitudinal trajectory of mother-child adaptation concerning stress and behavior problems.
  • MITP participation was associated with diminished links between maternal stress and child behavior, especially attentional issues, suggesting a potential benefit in specific contexts.
  • Maternal education and child birth weight play a role in moderating the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior in the context of the MITP intervention.

Keywords:
behavior problemsearly interventionlongitudinalparenting stressparent–child interactionprematurity

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