Effects of Maternal Depression, Maternal Temperament, and Parenting on Child Overweight and Obesity

Abstract

Overweight and obesity have a large impact on the social, emotional, and physical functioning of children. Previous literature has connected parental depression and parenting style to higher child body mass index (BMI); however, prior literature has not examined the link between parental temperament and child BMI. This study sought to expand the literature by examining this association. Furthermore, this study investigated whether parenting styles and parenting behaviors mediated the relations between maternal depression, maternal temperament, and child BMI, pathways not yet examined in prior research. As part of the larger Families and Schools for Health (FiSH) project, 107 third grade children (42.1% female; M = 6.93) were followed longitudinally through their fourth grade year. Mothers completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ), Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), and Coping with Children�s Negative Emotion Scale (CCNES) when children were in third grade. Child BMI was assessed when children were in fourth grade. The hypothesized mediation was not supported; however, confidence intervals skewed to one side of zero suggest significance might be found with greater power. Maternal depression and maternal temperament were significantly correlated with parenting styles and parenting behaviors. These correlations add to the relatively sparse literature connecting maternal temperament to parenting. Clinical implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.