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Relation Between Parent Symptomatology and Youth Problems: Multiple Mediation Through Family Income and Parent–Youth Stress

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Abstract

This study tested whether family income and stress in the parent–youth relationship might mediate links between parent symptoms and youth problems, and whether the process might differ for youth externalizing versus internalizing problems. We used a multiple mediation technique to test pathways by which family income and stress in the parent–child relationship might relate to parent–youth symptom associations in a sample of clinically-referred 7–13 year-olds (32 % female; M age = 10.16 years). Family income and stress jointly mediated the relation between parent symptoms and youth externalizing problems but not between parent symptoms and youth internalizing problems. Future longitudinal research should investigate whether low income and parent–youth stress may deplete the parental resources needed to manage youth externalizing behavior. This study extends existing literature by suggesting a specific pattern by which two identified risk factors for youth problems may operate jointly, and by showing specificity to externalizing problems.

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Notes

  1. The other two PSI subscales are interesting but not a good fit to the goals of the present study, for both conceptual and methodological reasons. The Difficult Child subscale focuses specifically on the youth’s behavioral problems, from the parent’s perspective, and it has shown specific associations with youth externalizing problems only [28]. The Parental Distress subscale has raised concern on the part of researchers that it may not measure a concept distinctly different from parental psychiatric symptoms [47].

  2. To address potentially confounding effects of youth ethnicity and family structure (single versus dual-parent households) on models involving family income, as well as the effect of youth and parent gender on relations between variables, we also tested all models including these four factors as covariates. Youth ethnicity was coded into seven separate variables, each representing one ethnic category. Family structure was coded into one variable with 0 representing single-parent families, and 1, dual-parent families. Youth and parent gender were both coded into two separate variables, with 0 representing males and 1 representing females. Findings for all significant models in this study remained significant even after including youth ethnicity, family structure, youth gender, and parent gender as covariates. Thus, models are reported without these covariates included.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Jessica L. Schleider & John R. Weisz

  2. Judge Baker Children’s Center, 53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston, MA, 02120, USA

    Anushka Patel & Lauren Krumholz

  3. Psychology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951963, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Bruce F. Chorpita

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  1. Jessica L. Schleider
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  2. Anushka Patel
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  4. Bruce F. Chorpita
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  5. John R. Weisz
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Correspondence to Jessica L. Schleider.

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Schleider, J.L., Patel, A., Krumholz, L. et al. Relation Between Parent Symptomatology and Youth Problems: Multiple Mediation Through Family Income and Parent–Youth Stress. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 46, 1–9 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-014-0446-6

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