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Parenting and health in mid-childhood : a longitudinal study

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Waylen, Andrea, Stallard, Nigel and Stewart-Brown, Sarah L. (2008) Parenting and health in mid-childhood : a longitudinal study. European Journal of Public Health, Vol.18 (No.3). pp. 300-305. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckm131

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckm131

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Abstract

Background: Parenting and parent-child relationships influence children's emotional and social development and evidence exists that they may be life-course determinants of health. This study tests the hypothesis that adverse parenting in the early years predicts poor health in mid-childhood. Methods: A prospective study using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Health data on over 8000 children (60% of those recruited) were available for analysis at 6.9 and 7.7 years. Exposures: self-reported maternal hostility, resentment and hitting/shouting in early childhood. Outcomes: maternal report of child's health in general and number of health problems when the child was 6.9 and 7.7 years, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Results: Sub-optimal parenting, as measured here, was observed among 62, 80 and 83% of families for hostility, resentment and hitting/shouting, respectively. Resentment was more common among older mothers in owner-occupied housing. Resentment and hostility predicted health at both ages independently of socioeconomic circumstances. 'Hitting/shouting' was weakly predictive of number of health problems. A greater proportion of variance was explained by parenting variables than by socio-economic variables. Conclusions: Parenting and parent-child relationships in the early years predict health in mid-childhood in a way consistent with a causal role. If further studies replicate this finding, policies to improve parenting could be expected to have a modest beneficial impact on health as well as emotional and social development. As some aspects of sub-optimal parenting show reverse social class distribution, initiatives targeted at those living in social deprivation may not achieve the optimum impact on health.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Mental Health and Wellbeing
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Parenting , Parent and child -- Research, Children -- Health and hygiene -- Research
Journal or Publication Title: European Journal of Public Health
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISSN: 1101-1262
Official Date: June 2008
Dates:
DateEvent
June 2008Published
Volume: Vol.18
Number: No.3
Number of Pages: 6
Page Range: pp. 300-305
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckm131
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder: Great Britain. Dept of Health (DoH), University of Warwick

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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