Abstract
BACKGROUND:A large body of literature suggests an association between multiple risk factors and development of child social-emotional problems. Some reports indicate that perceived parenting competence may represent a mechanism that further influence child social-emotional development. The aim of this study was twofold: First, to investigate the relationship between cumulative risk during pregnancy and child externalizing and internalizing problems at 18 months. Second, to investigate whether maternal perceived parenting competence mediated this association. METHODS: The study used data from 659 Norwegian women and their children from the population study Little in Norway, hosted by The Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway (RBUP Øst og Sør). Cumulative risk was measured with a cumulative risk index consisting of 12 risk factors. Child externalizing and internalizing problems were measured at 18 months with the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA). Perceived parenting competence was measured at 6 and 12 months with the Competence scale from the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses showed that cumulative risk during pregnancy explained a small proportion of the variance in externalizing and internalizing problems at 18 months. The results from the mediation analyses showed that perceived parenting competence partly mediated the effect of cumulative risk on externalizing problems, and fully mediated the effect on internalizing problems. The results suggest that caregivers’ perceptions of their parenting, are reflected in early child social-emotional functioning and operates as a mediator in the link between pregnancy risk and later child externalizing and internalizing problems. CONCLUSION: Albeit generally weak effect sizes, the findings add to a growing body of literature indicating a relationship between cumulative risk and early development of social-emotional problems. The present findings extends previous knowledge by demonstrating the mediating role of perceived parenting competence as a possible link between maternal risk and later child social-emotional functioning. Hence, perceived parenting competence may be a relevant target of clinical interventions, as well as a topic for future research.