A Mediated Moderation Model: Is Child Care Access a Buffer for the Impact of Maternal Depression on Children's School Readiness Via Maternal Sensitivity & Cognitively Stimulating Parenting?

Parent-child interactions are critical for shaping children’s development, but mothers experiencing depressive symptoms are at higher risk of maladaptive parenting (Bernard et al., 2018). Childcare access is one factor that supports early development and maternal psychological well-being (Pilarz & Hill, 2017). However, many families lack access to childcare arrangements that align with their needs along multiple criteria (Sandstrom & Chaudry, 2012). Families’ childcare decisions are complex, underscoring the need to examine access as a multidimensional construct, through a family-centered lens (Friese et al., 2017). The current study examined whether the association between parental depression and children’s development was mediated by parenting behaviors and whether childcare access moderated these pathways.

Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative cohort of children born in the U.S., the sample included approximately 5,150 children whose parents reported they were in non-parental care (NPC) at the preschool age (Wave 3). Children’s school readiness at kindergarten (Wave 4) consisted of a mean z-score of literacy knowledge, math knowledge, and socioemotional functioning (Najarian et al., 2007). Maternal depressive symptoms at 24 months (Wave 2) were measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF; Kessler et al., 1998). Maternal sensitivity (mean score of sensitivity, positive regard, and reverse coding of intrusiveness and detachment) and cognitively stimulating parenting at preschool were based on the Two Bags Task. Childcare access at preschool was measured by maternal report on four dimensions: reasonable effort (e.g., Household in same zip code as NPC arrangement), affordability (e.g., childcare costs <7% of household income), supports child development (e.g., attends center-based care), and supports parental needs (e.g., in primary ECE arrangement for ³ 12 months). Eight interaction terms were created between dimensions of childcare access and mediating variables. School readiness was regressed on each interaction term separately.

Analyses were conducted in Mplus using FIML for missing data. Results demonstrated no direct effects between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s school readiness. However, there were significant associations between maternal sensitivity (β = .09, p = .00) and cognitively stimulating parenting (β = .04, p = .02) and children’s school readiness. The total indirect effect from maternal depressive symptoms to children’s school readiness via maternal sensitivity and cognitively stimulating parenting was marginally significant (β = -.00, p = .08). There was a marginal main effect between childcare supporting child development and children’s school readiness (β = .04, p = .06). There was a moderating effect of childcare affordability on the association between maternal sensitivity and children’s school readiness (β = .52, p = .02).

Our results suggest there is a trend of a total indirect effect between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s school readiness via maternal sensitivity and cognitively stimulating parenting. From all indicators of childcare access, childcare affordability significantly buffered the association between maternal sensitivity and children’s school readiness. Even though all dimensions of childcare access are important, intervention programs interested in improving maternal sensitivity for mothers at high-risk should prioritize childcare affordability.