Children’s mental health problems and their relation to parental stress in foster mothers and fathers

Abstract

BackgroundThis study focuses on children living in foster families with a history of maltreatment or neglect. These children often show adverse mental health outcomes reflected in increased externalizing and internalizing problems. It is expected that these adverse outcomes are associated with increased parental stress levels experienced by foster mothers as well as foster fathers.MethodsThe study sample included 79 children living in foster families and 140 children living in biological families as comparison group. The age of the children ranged from 2 to 7 years. Mental health problems were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist, while parenting stress was measured with a parenting stress questionnaire including subscales on the amount of experienced stress and the amount of perceived support. The Child Behavior Checklist assessments were based mainly on maternal reports, while the parental stress assessments were based on maternal as well as paternal reports.ResultsAs expected the results showed increased externalizing and internalizing scores for the foster children accompanied by increased parental stress experiences in the foster family sample (however only in the maternal, but not in the paternal stress reports). The stress differences between the foster and biological family groups disappeared, when the children’s mental health problem scores were included as covariates. Moreover, especially the externalizing scores were strong predictors of parental stress in both, the groups of foster and biological parents. The amount of perceived social support was associated with reduced parental stress, but only in the group of biological fathers.ConclusionThe emergence of parental stress in biological as well as foster parents is closely related to child characteristics (mainly externalizing child problems). Possible implications for the reduction of parental stress are discussed as a consequence of the present results.

Family resilience and flourishment: Well‐being among children with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

“…One mechanism is mental health symptoms as a result of parenting stress (Duca, 2015;Gerstein, Crnic, Blacher, & Baker, 2009;Kim, Dababnah, & Lee, 2019 stress (Hayes & Watson, 2013;Theule, Wiener, Tannock, & Jenkins, 2013). This heightened stress level originates from the burden of care, isolation, and educational challenges associated with their parenting role (Anderson, 2008;Lohaus et al, 2017;Mofokeng & van der Wath, 2017).…”

“…Increased parent mental health symptoms are associated with ineffective parenting practices as stress impairs parent's ability to cope with adversity, including challenging child behavior problems (Lohaus et al, 2017). Further, when children are perceived as more challenging to care for, parents are less likely to express their anger and frustration to others and more likely to suppress these negative emotions (Le & Impett, 2016).…”

General Cognitive Ability as an Early Indicator of Problem Behavior Among Toddlers in Foster Care

“…1,2 Rates of problem behavior are particularly elevated in children in foster care. 3,4,5 Importantly, problem behavior in early childhood has been linked to subsequent negative outcomes, such as school failure, juvenile justice involvement, long-term physical and mental health problems, and alcohol and substance use. 5,6,7 However, while there is increased likelihood of problem behavior among children in foster care, not all of these children show clinically significant levels of problem behavior, highlighting the importance of studying individual variability in the adaptation to early adversity.…”

“…In particular, higher levels of parenting stress in foster caregivers have been associated with negative child outcomes, including alterations in the stress-response system and increased problem behavior. 3,15 Similarly, foster caregivers' implementation of consistent family routines has been linked to decreased child problem behavior and improved family well-being. 16,17 Finally, research on the discipline practices of foster caregivers has shown that lower levels of harsh discipline is associated with more positive adjustment in children in foster care, and conversely, higher levels of harsh discipline is related to increased child aggression.…”

A Meta-Analysis of Group-Based Parenting Programs for Preschoolers: Exploring Moderation by Participants, Programs, and Time

“…This sensitivity is understood to be a "double-edged sword" (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2007): while exposure to chronic stress during early childhood can have lasting influences, high-quality parenting can provide children with a foundation for healthy development (Fisher et al, 2016). Sources of stress within families are broad, including poverty, mental illness, parents' own exposure to adverse childhood experiences, a lack of perceived social support, and children's behaviour problems (Lohaus et al, 2017;Mcewen & Mcewen, 2017;Steele et al, 2016).…”