Maternal depression and physical punishment as mediators of the effect of poverty on socioemotional problems of children in single-mother families.

Data from a national sample of 878 4-9-year-old children in single-mother families were used to test a structural model of the effect of poverty on children's socioemotional problems. Results show that the effect of poverty is mediated by maternal depression and mothers' use of physical punishment. Maternal depression influence children's socioemotional problems directly, as well as indirectly through physical punishment.