BACKGROUND: Parenting and parent-child relationships influence children's emotional and social development and evidence exists that they may be life-course determinants of health. This study tests the hypothesis that adverse parenting in the early years predicts poor health in mid-childhood. METHODS: A prospective study using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Health data on over 8000 children (60% of those recruited) were available for analysis at 6.9 and 7.7 years. EXPOSURES: self-reported maternal hostility, resentment and hitting/shouting in early childhood. OUTCOMES: maternal report of child's health in general and number of health problems when the child was 6.9 and 7.7 years, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: Sub-optimal parenting, as measured here, was observed among 62, 80 and 83% of families for hostility, resentment and hitting/shouting, respectively. Resentment was more common among older mothers in owner-occupied housing. Resentment and hostility predicted health at both ages independently of socioeconomic circumstances. 'Hitting/shouting' was weakly predictive of number of health problems. A greater proportion of variance was explained by parenting variables than by socio-economic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Parenting and parent-child relationships in the early years predict health in mid-childhood in a way consistent with a causal role. If further studies replicate this finding, policies to improve parenting could be expected to have a modest beneficial impact on health as well as emotional and social development. As some aspects of sub-optimal parenting show reverse social class distribution, initiatives targeted at those living in social deprivation may not achieve the optimum impact on health.
BACKGROUND: Parenting and parent-child relationships influence children's emotional and social development and evidence exists that they may be life-course determinants of health. This study tests the hypothesis that adverse parenting in the early years predicts poor health in mid-childhood. METHODS: A prospective study using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Health data on over 8000 children (60% of those recruited) were available for analysis at 6.9 and 7.7 years. EXPOSURES: self-reported maternal hostility, resentment and hitting/shouting in early childhood. OUTCOMES: maternal report of child's health in general and number of health problems when the child was 6.9 and 7.7 years, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: Sub-optimal parenting, as measured here, was observed among 62, 80 and 83% of families for hostility, resentment and hitting/shouting, respectively. Resentment was more common among older mothers in owner-occupied housing. Resentment and hostility predicted health at both ages independently of socioeconomic circumstances. 'Hitting/shouting' was weakly predictive of number of health problems. A greater proportion of variance was explained by parenting variables than by socio-economic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Parenting and parent-child relationships in the early years predict health in mid-childhood in a way consistent with a causal role. If further studies replicate this finding, policies to improve parenting could be expected to have a modest beneficial impact on health as well as emotional and social development. As some aspects of sub-optimal parenting show reverse social class distribution, initiatives targeted at those living in social deprivation may not achieve the optimum impact on health.
Authors: Kamila B Mistry; Cynthia S Minkovitz; Anne W Riley; Sara B Johnson; Holly A Grason; Lisa C Dubay; Bernard Guyer Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2012-07-19 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: D E Simkiss; H A Snooks; N Stallard; P K Kimani; B Sewell; D Fitzsimmons; R Anthony; S Winstanley; L Wilson; C J Phillips; S Stewart-Brown Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2013-08-01 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Douglas E Simkiss; Helen A Snooks; Nigel Stallard; Shan Davies; Marie A Thomas; Becky Anthony; Sarah Winstanley; Lynsey Wilson; Sarah Stewart-Brown Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2010-06-23 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Helen L Fisher; Andrea Schreier; Stanley Zammit; Barbara Maughan; Marcus R Munafò; Glyn Lewis; Dieter Wolke Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2012-09-01 Impact factor: 9.306