Interrelationships of caregiver mental health, parenting practices, and child development in rural China

Zhong, Jingdong; Wang, Tianyi; He, Yang; Gao, Jingjing; Liu, Chengfang; Lai, Fang; Zhang, Liuxiu; Luo, Renfu

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105855

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…16 34 This may be compounded by mental health issues among rural caregivers in China, which several studies have found to be prevalent and linked to reduced ECD outcomes. [35][36][37][38] In light of these problems, 10 studies have completed rigorous evaluations of ECD interventions among the 0-5 age group. These interventions are designed to improve ECD primarily by targeting caregiver knowledge and skills through one-on-one parental training.…”

Section: Bmj Global Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early childhood development and parental training interventions in rural China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

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IntroductionInadequate care during early childhood can lead to long-term deficits in skills. Parenting programmes that encourage investment in young children are a promising tool for improving early development outcomes and long-term opportunities in low-income and middle-income regions, such as rural China.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence of early developmental delays and stimulating parenting practices as well as the effect of parental training programmes on child development outcomes in rural China. We obtained data in English from EconPapers, PubMed, PsycARTICLES, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus (Elsevier) and in Chinese from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and VIP Information. We conducted frequentist meta-analyses of aggregate data and estimated random-effects meta-regressions. Certainty of evidence was rated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.ResultsWe identified 19 observational studies on the prevalence of developmental delays and stimulating parenting practices for children under 5 years of age (n=19 762) and ten studies on the impact of parental training programmes on early child development (n=13 766). Children’s risk of cognitive, language and social-emotional delays in the rural study sites (covering 14 provinces mostly in Central and Western China) was 45%, 46%, and 36%, respectively. Parental training programmes had a positive impact on child cognition, language and social-emotional development.ConclusionThere is evidence to suggest that early developmental delay and the absence of stimulating parenting practices (ie, reading, storytelling and singing with children) may be prevalent across rural, low-income and middle-income regions in Central and Western China. Results support the effectiveness of parental training programmes to improve early development by encouraging parental engagement.Trial registration numberThis study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020218852).

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Section: Bmj Global Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early childhood development and parental training interventions in rural China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

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“…Other recent studies have found that rural caregivers have rates of depression ranging from 23% to 40%, while rates for anxiety and stress are about 28% and 15%, respectively (Wang & Mesman, 2015; Zhang et al, 2018). Up to 40% of rural caregivers have at least one of these three mental health issues (Zhang et al, 2018), and cross‐sectional studies have found mental health issues to be significantly associated with ECD delays among young children (Zhang et al, 2018; Zhong et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting centers and caregiver mental health: Evidence from a large‐scale randomized controlled trial in China

et al. 2022

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This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center-based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of 1664 caregivers (M age = 36.87 years old) of 6-to 24-month-old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers. The results show no significant overall change in caregiver-reported mental health symptoms after 1 year of intervention. Subgroup analyses reveal heterogeneous effects by caregiver socioeconomic status and identity (mother vs. grandmother). Findings suggest that early childhood development interventions without targeted mental health components may not provide sufficient support to improve caregiver mental health.

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“…From childhood to adolescence, children of depressed mothers are more likely to have psychological and psychopathology problems [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] and are more likely than children of non-depressed mothers to be underweight, stunted [ 27 ], undernourished [ 20 ], or have attention deficits [ 28 ]. Furthermore, caregivers with poor mental health also have negative impacts on their children in terms of cognitive development, language development, social emotions, adaptability, and behavior [ 19 , 24 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Some 36–46% of children under the age of five are stunted and have slower early cognitive, language, and social-emotional development in low- and middle-income rural areas of West-central China [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To achieve this, parenting concepts and principles are conveyed to caregivers, and caregivers are guided to develop positive parenting behavior through home visits and group activities and to provide emotional support via informal interactions [ 57 , 58 ]. Caregivers’ mental health and child development are mediated by parental investment and skills [ 32 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of an Early Childhood Development Intervention on the Mental Health of Female Caregivers: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Bai

Abulitifu

Wang

2022

IJERPH

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Investing in early childhood development is an effective way to enhance human capital accumulation. Caregivers’ mental health is one of the most important factors influencing children’s development. Previous studies have found that mental health issues in caregivers are widespread all over the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we explored the effects of the “Integrated Program for Early Childhood Development” on the mental health of female caregivers in Southwest China through a randomized intervention trial, with infants aged 5–25 months and their caregivers as the target subjects. The heterogeneity of the effects of different characteristics of the caregivers and the mechanism of the intervention effect were also analyzed. Primary caregivers were provided comprehensive early development interventions for the children in the treatment group via bi-weekly home visiting activities and monthly family group activities. The results showed that the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among female caregivers in this rural area were 32%, 42%, and 30%, respectively. Whether the child was breastfed, parent’s age, parent’s education level, primary caregiver type, the ratio of the number of months the mother was at home full time to the child’s age, the grandmother’s rearing ability, and the family asset index were the factors influencing the mental health of female caregivers. The intervention significantly increased the proportion of depressive symptoms in 28% of the grandmothers. It significantly reduced the anxiety symptoms of daughters-in-law not from the local town, while the social interactions of both local and non-local daughters-in-law were significantly improved.

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Interrelationships of caregiver mental health, parenting practices, and child development in rural China

Cited by 8 publications

References 61 publications

Early childhood development and parental training interventions in rural China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Early childhood development and parental training interventions in rural China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Parenting centers and caregiver mental health: Evidence from a large‐scale randomized controlled trial in China

Impact of an Early Childhood Development Intervention on the Mental Health of Female Caregivers: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

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