Abstract
Introduction: Child mental health is known to be influenced by parental work hours. Although literature suggests that parent-child interaction mediates the association, few studies have directly measured the parental time of returning home from work. We analyzed data from a school-based survey to examine the association between parental time of returning home from work and child mental health.Methods: We used a sample of 2,987 first-year primary school students derived from the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study that examined the impact of family environment and lifestyle on child health in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. We analyzed the associations between reported parental time of returning home and the continuous Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores using multivariable regression modeling.Results: Children whose parents both returned home late (later than 6 p.m. for the mother and later than 8 p.m. for the father), or at irregular times, had higher scores in total difficulties (β = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.55 to 1.85), the “conduct problems” subscale (β = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.60), and the hyperactivity/inattention subscale (β = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.82) compared with children whose parents both returned home earlier. Mediation analyses indicated that the percentage of the total association between parental time of returning home and the SDQ scores, which was mediated by parent-child interaction, was 20% (95% CI: 10 to 46) for total difficulties, 17% (95% CI: 7 to 49) for conduct problems, and 23% (95% CI: 11 to 52) for hyperactivity/inattention.Conclusions: Late or irregular returning home times for both parents had an adverse effect on child mental health, and the relationship was partly mediated by reduced frequency of parent-child interaction.
Highlights
Child mental health is known to be influenced by parental work hours
Empirical evidence indicates that only maternal fulltime employment early in the life course is associated with more behavioral problems in children [5, 6], whereas maternal employment as a whole, which includes full-time and parttime employment, does not have strong effects on child mental health, and is deleterious only in socioeconomically advantaged communities [5], suggesting the protective effects of financial security provided by employment in households that are less stable socioeconomically
Such parental working hours can lead to reduced quantity of parent-child interaction [9, 10], and poorer quality of parenting and home environments [9, 11], which are shown to have an independent impact on child mental health
Summary
Child mental health is known to be influenced by parental work hours. literature suggests that parent-child interaction mediates the association, few studies have directly measured the parental time of returning home from work. Among dual-earner families, maternal and/or paternal working hours in the evening, night, or at irregular times have been shown to increase the risk of behavior problems in children [7, 8]. Such parental working hours can lead to reduced quantity of parent-child interaction [9, 10], and poorer quality of parenting and home environments [9, 11], which are shown to have an independent impact on child mental health. Low-quality parenting practices (i.e., frequent unfavorable reactions to children’s problem behaviors) have been associated with child difficulties [8, 12]
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