How Do Maternal Risk Factors Affect Children in Low-Income Families?

Abstract

SUMMARY This longitudinal study examines the role of depressive symptoms and low literacy among mothers receiving welfare in predicting outcomes for both parents and children (mothers' psychological and employment-related outcomes and children's development across multiple domains). For African-American single mothers (n = 351), depressive symptoms in mothers are an important predictor of their later psychological well-being, while maternal literacy affects both their participation in welfare-to-work activities and later employment. An analysis of the academic functioning of children found a main effect for maternal literacy. Maternal literacy also significantly interacted with maternal depression. The children of mothers with a greater number of depressive symptoms had less favorable cognitive achievement outcomes when their mothers also had low literacy. Structural equation models indicate that parenting behavior mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms, literacy and later child outcomes. Among mothers with low literacy the pathways linking depressive symptoms, parenting, and child outcomes are stronger.