Family processes as pathways from income to young children's development.
A variety of family processes have been hypothesized to mediate associations between income and young children's development. Maternal emotional distress, parental authoritative and authoritarian behavior (videotaped mother-child interactions), and provision of cognitively stimulating activities (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME] scales) were examined as possible mediators in a sample of 493 White and African American low-birth-weight premature infants who were followed from birth through age 5. Cognitive ability was assessed by standardized test, and child behavior problems by maternal report, when the children were 3 and 5 years of age. As expected, family income was associated with child outcomes. The provision of stimulating experiences in the home mediated the relation between family income and both children's outcomes; maternal emotional distress and parenting practices mediated the relation between income and children's behavior problems.
Linver
Miriam R
MR
Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA. MRL23@columbia.edu
Brooks-Gunn
Jeanne
J
Kohen
Dafna E
DE
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D008960:Models, Psychological; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data