Abstract
Background
Little empirical research examines relationships among delivery mode, other childbirth-related factors, maternal characteristics, and child psychosocial development.
Objective
The aim of this study is to explore the developmental trajectories of toddlers’ emotional and behavioral problems and the predictive role of psycho-social, childbirth, and maternal characteristics.
Method
Participants were 258 mothers and their children who took part in a longitudinal study from birth till the age of 30 months. Self-report instruments were used for the assessment of mothers’ infant rearing attitudes, the quality of relationship with the partner, maternal emotional distress, and maternal self-efficacy. The Child Behavior Checklist (1½–5) was used for the assessment of children’s behavioral and emotional problems.
Results
Latent class analysis for emotional and behavioral problems ended in 3-class solutions. In regard to emotional problems, 83% of children were classified as having a stable low, 11% an increasing, and 6% a decreasing level of emotional problems. In regard to behavioral problems, 86% of children showed a stable low, 5% an increasing, and 9% a stable high level of behavioral problems. Children’s gender in combination with maternal education and maternal infant rearing attitudes predict children’s membership in the increasing and decreasing emotional problem classes. Children’s gender and maternal age in combination with emergency caesarean section, the quality of the relationship with the partner, and maternal self-efficacy explain children’s membership in the classes of high and increasing behavioral problems.
Conclusions
A combination of such factors as emergency caesarean section, child’s gender, maternal age and level of education, maternal infant rearing attitudes, maternal self-efficacy, and inter-parental relationships predict developmental trajectories of emotional and behavioral problems in toddlers.
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Acknowledgements
This research is a part of the prospective birth-cohort study initiated in 2009. We thank a whole group of scientists from Vilnius University and Lithuanian university of Health sciences who has worked on this study, as well as the mothers who participated in it.
Funding
This research is part of the project funded by the following Grants: T-09157/2009 from the Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation, MIP-147/2010 from the Research Council of Lithuania, and MIP-014/2012 from the Research Council of Lithuania.
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Jurgita Smilte Jasiulione declares that she has no conflict of interest. Roma Jusiene has received research Grants from Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation and the Research Council of Lithuania; however the funders have not intervened and/or influenced the research and the content of the manuscript.
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All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the national research committee and with 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. The study was approved by Regional Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (No. P1‐143/2007).
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It was obtained from all participating mothers.
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Jasiulione, J.S., Jusiene, R. Delivery Mode, Maternal Characteristics, and Developmental Trajectories of Toddlers’ Emotional and Behavioral Problems. Child Youth Care Forum 48, 405–425 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09487-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09487-8