Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
06:39

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

Published on: June 13, 2021

3.4K

Parenting stress during infancy is a risk factor for mental health problems in 3-year-old children

Nayantara Hattangadi1, Katherine T Cost1, Catherine S Birken2,3,4,5,6

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.

BMC Public Health
|November 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Parenting stress in infancy was linked to a doubled risk of mental health issues in 3-year-old children. This study highlights the importance of early parental well-being for child development.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Parental Mental Health

Background:

  • The relationship between parent and child mental health is increasingly studied.
  • The specific impact of early parenting stress on preschooler mental health requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the association between parenting stress experienced during infancy and the presence of mental health problems in 3-year-old children.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study involved healthy preschool-aged children from primary care practices in Toronto.
  • Parenting stress was measured using the Parent Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF) in infancy (0-16 months).
  • Child mental health was assessed at 3-4 years using the preschool Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (TDS), with statistical analysis including hierarchical linear and logistic regression.

Main Results:

  • Parenting stress during infancy significantly correlated with mental health problems in 3-year-old children (β = 0.35, p < 0.001).
  • Elevated parenting stress was associated with a 2.26 times higher odds of reporting higher total difficulties scores (OR = 2.26, p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

  • Infancy parenting stress is a significant predictor of mental health problems in early childhood.
  • Children whose parents reported stress during infancy demonstrated approximately double the odds of experiencing mental health challenges by age 3.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child mental healthMental healthParent-child relationshipParenting stressProspective cohort

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model04:20

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model

Published on: July 12, 2024

2.2K
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

11.9K

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
274
Stress and Mental Health01:30

Stress and Mental Health

Chronic stress profoundly affects mental health, significantly influencing mood, behavior, and overall quality of life. Research closely links chronic stress with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Ongoing exposure to stress can lead to physiological and psychological changes, initiating a cycle of emotional distress and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
361
Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
123
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood01:28

Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood

Erik Erikson, a stage theorist, adapted Freud's theory to emphasize social factors in personality development throughout life, a concept known as psychosocial development. Unlike Freud, who focused on early childhood, Erikson believed that personality evolves across eight life stages, each marked by a specific challenge or "crisis." Successful resolution of each stage fosters competence, while failure may lead to feelings of inadequacy.
The first four of Erikson's eight...
602
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
1.2K
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...
342