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Parental Wellbeing, Parenting and Child Development in Ghanaian Families with Young Children

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Abstract

Approximately one-third of early childhood pupils in Ghana are struggling with meeting basic behavioral and developmental milestones, but little is known about mechanisms or factors that contribute to poor early childhood development. With a lack of developmental research to guide intervention or education program and policy planning, this study aimed to address these research gaps by examining a developmental mechanism for early childhood development. We tested a mediational mechanism model that examined the influence of parental wellbeing on parenting and children’s development. Two hundred and sixty-two Ghanaian parents whose children attended early childhood classes (nursery to 3rd grade) were recruited. Data were gathered through parent interviews and Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to examine pathways of the model. Results support the mediational model that Ghanaian parents’ depression was associated with less optimal parenting, and in turn greater child externalizing behavioral problems. This study adds new evidence of cross cultural consistency in early childhood development.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by NYU CGPH Research Affinity Group Challenge Grant/NYU Provost Office and National Institutes of Mental Health (U19 MH110001-01). We wish to acknowledge the generous participation of the schools, community leaders and parents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 227 East 30th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Keng-Yen Huang

  2. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Lindsay A. Bornheimer

  3. Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Ernestina Dankyi

  4. Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Ama de-Graft Aikins

Authors
  1. Keng-Yen Huang
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  2. Lindsay A. Bornheimer
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  3. Ernestina Dankyi
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  4. Ama de-Graft Aikins
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Correspondence to Keng-Yen Huang.

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Huang, KY., Bornheimer, L.A., Dankyi, E. et al. Parental Wellbeing, Parenting and Child Development in Ghanaian Families with Young Children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 49, 833–841 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-018-0799-3

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