Chaos, Distress and Crowding in the Home: Disentangling Associations With Child Behaviour

ABSTRACT Research shows that children living in a crowded home are more at risk of adjustment problems, yet few studies have explored the possible pathways from home crowding to child adjustment. This paper uses data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study to test the role of household chaos and maternal and paternal psychological distress in the relationship between early (age three) crowding in the home and later (age seven) child emotional and conduct problems. We consider overall (total) parent‐perceived chaos as well as components of perceived chaos in terms of home disorganisation, noise ('not being able to think'), and lack of calm at the child's age of five. Using mediation analysis, we found that early crowding in the home had indirect effects on conduct problems via perceived home disorganisation, noise and lack of calm, and on emotional problems via perceived home disorganisation and noise. Psychological distress of the mother (but not the father) mediated the relationship between crowding and child problems. Perceptions of chaos, especially ambient stimulation, and maternal psychological distress may be impactful for children living in crowded environments.