Maternal Mental Illness and Adolescent Externalizing Behavior

Background/Rationale:

Maternal mental health challenges are disproportionately common in families experiencing poverty (Luciano et al., 2014), and these issues significantly affect parenting quality and children’s developmental outcomes (Lanjekar et al., 2022). While prior studies have documented a positive link between maternal mental illness and adolescents’ behavioral problems, limited research has explored potential protective factors that could buffer this association. This study investigates how maternal mental illness influences adolescent externalizing behavior and examines whether social engagement and religious affiliation serve as moderating factors.

Method: Data were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW), a longitudinal survey of approximately 5,000 families in large U.S. cities. The analysis focused on data from waves 5 and 6, when children were approximately 9 and 15 years old. The analytic sample included 2,595 children enrolled in school, after excluding cases with missing data. The dependent variable was adolescents’ externalizing behavior, and key independent variables included maternal mental illness, social engagement, religious affiliation, age, sex, and government assistance. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine the associations and test for moderating effects.

Results: Maternal mental illness was significantly associated with higher levels of adolescent externalizing behavior (B = 3.03, p < .001). In contrast, social engagement was negatively associated with such behavior (B = -2.23, p < .001), suggesting a protective effect. Additionally, social engagement significantly moderated the relationship between caregiver mental illness and adolescent delinquency (B = -2.37, p < .001), indicating that adolescents with high social engagement exhibited fewer behavioral problems even when their mothers had mental health issues. However, religious affiliation did not show a statistically significant buffering effect on the association between maternal mental illness and adolescent delinquency.

Discussion: These results highlight the importance of social engagement as a buffer against the negative impact of maternal mental illness on adolescent behavior. Adolescents from low-income, high-risk communities—often exposed to crime, instability, and lack of resources—benefit greatly from support systems such as school engagement, peer connections, and mentoring relationships. When parental mental health is compromised, external support becomes essential. However, under-resourced schools often struggle to provide adequate support due to overcrowding, staff turnover, and limited funding. This presents challenges for implementing consistent support systems within schools and neighborhoods. Collaborative efforts among educators, community leaders, and youth workers are needed to foster environments where adolescents can develop strong, supportive relationships that protect against behavioral risks.

While religious involvement has been considered a potential resilience factor in adolescent development, this study found no significant moderating effect in this context. This may suggest that structured or communal aspects of religious affiliation are not sufficient by themselves to offset the impact of maternal mental health problems, especially in the absence of strong social bonds.

In sum, the findings underscore the need to expand social engagement opportunities for adolescents, particularly in disadvantaged communities, to reduce the negative consequences of maternal mental illness. Future research should explore school- and community-based interventions that build social capital and promote positive youth development through accessible and culturally responsive programs.