Parental Psychological Distress and Perceived Child Externalizing Behaviors: Examining Mediators and Bidirectional Effects

Abstract Parental psychological distress is a commonly examined risk factor for the emergence of child problem behaviors, but the factors that contribute to that relationship—such as limited parental resources like greater social support and coping skills—have not been adequately explored, particularly with attention to potential bidirectional relations that incorporate child evocative effects. The current longitudinal study examined maternal and paternal psychological distress in relation to perceived child externalizing behaviors, considering parental resources as mediators within a bidirectional model. The sample included a racially and socioeconomically diverse group of 201 primiparous mothers and 151 fathers. Mothers and fathers reported their current psychological distress, social support satisfaction, and problem-focused coping prenatally, at child age 18 months and at child age 4 years, as well as reporting on child externalizing behaviors in these latter two waves. Results suggest that mothers’ psychological distress predicted perceived child externalizing behaviors in both toddlerhood and early childhood. However, for fathers, although their psychological distress did not predict their reports of child externalizing behaviors, perceived child externalizing appeared to predict later paternal psychological distress and social support satisfaction in early childhood, evidencing child evocative effects. No mediation by parental resources was identified for either mothers or fathers. Overall, this study underscores the intricate processes involved in understanding parent-perceived child externalizing behaviors and the importance of examining fathers and the role of children.