Contributions of maternal identity and lifestyle to young children's adjustment

Abstract

Early child behavior problems have been related to later child adjustment. Therefore, it is important to study factors, such as maternal characteristics, which may affect early child behavior. Existing science stresses the import of maternal identity formation as a key aspect of the early mother-child relationship; however, recent evidence also shows that mothers' health-related lifestyles are salient to preschool children's healthy adjustment. The relative contributions of these two influences on children's behavioral adjustment were compared in a longitudinal mail study of new mothers. The sample consisted of two cohorts of mothers (6 or 12 months postpartum at recruitment) systematically selected (every third name) from published birth announcements in a midwestern newspaper. Maternal identity and lifestyle were both measured when children were 6 to 12 months and were used to predict child behavioral problems 2 years later (N = 122). Using path analysis, the influence of maternal identity and lifestyle on child behavior problems was tested within one model with maternal age, education, family income, and social desirability statistically controlled. The model provided an acceptable fit to the data. The hypothesis that maternal identity would be related to child behavior problems was not supported; however, maternal lifestyle was significantly related to child behavior problems. These findings support the relationship between the mother's health-related lifestyle and her young child's adjustment.