A Growth Curve Analysis of Bi-Directional Effects of Maternal Depression and Children’s Socio-Emotional Skills: Contribution of Early Childhood Education and Care Arrangement

Purpose

Parental mental health (MH) plays a vital role in family well-being and is closely linked to children’s social-emotional (SE) development. This study investigates whether changes in MH correspond with shifts in children’s SE skills as they grow and explores how early childhood care and education (ECCE) experiences influence maternal mental health. Prior research shows that cumulative maternal depression, especially during early development, increases children’s risk for emotional and behavioral challenges, particularly in low-income families. While formal childcare is known to benefit children, its effect on maternal mental health is less understood. Based on Head Start’s intergenerational framework, we provide research-informed evidence on Head Start’s long-term impact on maternal outcomes which in turn positively impact their children’s SE.

Method

Based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (N = 18,097), this study examines the effect of MH on children’s socio-emotional (SE) skills that consists of approach to learn, interpersonal skills, self-control, internalized and externalized problem behaviors measured from kindergarten (wave 2) to fifth grade (wave 9). First, a parallel latent growth model was estimated using Mplus 8.0, modeling to determine bi-directional effects of maternal depressive symptoms and children’s SEl skills from kindergarten to 5th grade. Second, we examined types of childcare arrangements at kindergarten (parental care, relative care, center-based care and Head Start) for its short and long-term effect on maternal depression overtime, controlling for child, mothers and household factors.

Results

Initial maternal depression was significantly associated with all children’s SE outcomes at Kindergarten. Children of mothers who experience higher mental health reported lower approach to learning, higher externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems, lower interpersonal skills and lower self concepts (B =-0.025, p =0.000). As children grow from K to 5^th grade, when mothers experience increasingly higher maternal depression, children showed increasingly lower approach to learning skills (B =-0.043, p =0.010), higher externalizing (B =0.039, p =0.009) and internalizing (B =0.037, p =0.007) behavioral problems. Compared to Head Start parents, parents who used center-based care (B =-0.370, p =0.008) and school based care (B =-0.358, p =0.013) experience lower mental health problems. As children become older, compared to Head Start parents, parental care (B =0.087, p =0.010), relative care B =0.98, p =0.027), and center-based care (B =0.68, p =0.066) experienced increasingly higher MH.

Implication

Children’s SE development is shaped by maternal mental health across early to middle childhood, highlighting the importance of sustained support for parents. Maternal mental health trajectories appear to vary depending on the type of early childhood care and education (ECCE) arrangements. Parents whose children were enrolled in Head Start reported more mental health challenges initially, likely reflecting greater socioeconomic risk, but Head Start participation was associated with positive long-term impacts on parental mental health. This underscores the intergenerational value of Head Start—not only in supporting children's SE development but also in promoting parental well-being over time. These findings reinforce the importance of continued investment in Head Start and provide research informed evidence for expanding its parental support components, including mental health services into Head Start.