 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
DR Kunkel1, KP Poole, PhD2, and JA Leiferman, PhD1. (1) Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic University, 511 Craig St, Christiansburg, VA 24073, 540-382-1334, daglenn@vt.edu, (2) Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech, 253 Wallace Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
Mental distress is more prevalent among women than men, with rates peaking during childbearing years. A mother’s ability to effectively parent may be thwarted due to mental distress and be transferred into poor parental behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine whether maternal mental distress affects child-rearing behaviors. The sample (N=1,771) obtained from the National Survey of Early Childhood Health, 2000, consisted of women (Mean age = 28.9 years). Of this sample, 39.8% were non-Hispanic White, 21.1% non-Hispanic Black, 34% Hispanic, and 5.1% other. Approximately 22% had less than 12 years of formal education, 32.3% completed 12 years, and 46.3% completed more than 12 years. Oversampling of African American and Hispanic women ensured adequate representation of these ethnic groups. Maternal mental distress was assessed by the 5-item Mental Health Index (MHI), with a MHI score of 15 or greater representing the presence of maternal mental distress. Approximately 14% demonstrated high mental distress. The outcome variables included reading to children (37% <3 days/week, 62.8% >3 days/week); playing music with children (18.1% <3 days/week, 81.9% >3 days/week); taking children on outings (45.9% <3 days/week, 54.1% >3 days/week). Logistic regression was employed to specify the models allowing for control of covariates (e.g. race, age, marital status, education level, etc.). All final models were conducted using SUDAAN. Bivariate statistics suggest differences between maternal mental distress and outcome measures. Results from the logistic regression modeling including race differentials among these relationships will be presented. Implications of these results will be highlighted.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Maternal Well-Being, Child Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.