Maternal attachment feelings mediate between maternal reports of depression, infant social–emotional development, and parenting stress

We sought to determine whether fathers' play participation exerted an indirect effect on young children's social-emotional development by supporting mothers' psychological parenting environments of depression, parenting stress, and parenting efficacy. We also identified differences by family income. Mothers responded to all measures. We sampled 72 low-income and 201 higher income Korean mothers with 3- to 5-year-old children. The results showed that fathers in higher income families indirectly contributed to young children's social-emotional development through their effect on mothers' depression and parenting stress, and fathers in low-income families indirectly contributed through their effect on mothers' depression, parenting stress, and parenting efficacy. Practical implications for improving young children's social-emotional development in each family income group are discussed.

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Depressive Symptomatology and Parenting Stress: Influence on the Social-Emotional Development of Pre-Schoolers in Chile

Children ◽

10.3390/children8050387 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 387

Author(s):

María Pía Santelices ◽

Francisca Tagle ◽

Nina Immel

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Parenting Stress ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Emotional Development ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Social Emotional Development ◽

Social Emotional ◽

The Social

(1) Background: The preschool stage is a period of great psychological changes that requires the support of parents and significant adults for optimal development. Studies show that maternal mental health can be a risk factor in parenting, affecting the social-emotional development of children. (2) Methods: The present study seeks to shed light on the relation between depressive symptoms, parental stress in mothers and social-emotional development of their preschool children, using a total of 123 mother-child dyads with low Social-economic Status (SES). In mothers, depressive symptomatology and level of parental stress were evaluated, as well as social-emotional development in children. A possible mediation effect between maternal depressive symptoms and parenting stress is expected. (3) Results: The results indicate that higher levels of depressive symptoms and parenting stress in mothers relate to greater difficulties in social-emotional development of their preschool children. (4) Conclusions: These results are clinically relevant from the perspective of family therapy: Parents need support to decrease their levels of parenting stress in order not to jeopardise their children’s social-emotional development.

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Individual differences, social attention, and the history of the social motivation hypotheses of autism

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18002509 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Peter C. Mundy

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Early Development ◽

Emotional Development ◽

Social Motivation ◽

Social Attention ◽

Social Emotional Development ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Precise Understanding ◽

The Social ◽

History Of

Abstract The stereotype of people with autism as unresponsive or uninterested in other people was prominent in the 1980s. However, this view of autism has steadily given way to recognition of important individual differences in the social-emotional development of affected people and a more precise understanding of the possible role social motivation has in their early development.

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