Temperament as a Mediator Between Parental Anxiety and Child Mental Health

Parental anxiety has consistently been associated with adverse child outcomes, yet the mechanisms linking parental distress to child mental health remain underexplored, particularly in non-Western settings. This study examined whether child temperament - specifically, cautious and high-maintenance profiles - mediates the relationship between parental anxiety and children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties within a Turkish sample. Participants were 606 parents (91.7% mothers) of children aged 6 to 12 years (M = 7.86, SD = 2.24). Parents completed an online survey including the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) to assess parental anxiety, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for child mental health, and the School-Age Temperament Inventory (SATI) to measure child temperament. Sociodemographic variables were also collected and statistically controlled. Data were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4). Results showed that parental anxiety significantly predicted both child temperament and mental health outcomes. Both cautious and high-maintenance temperament traits were significant mediators; however, high-maintenance temperament demonstrated a stronger indirect effect. Importantly, even after accounting for temperament, the direct effect of parental anxiety on child outcomes remained significant, indicating partial mediation. These findings highlight the role of temperament in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety and underscore the need for culturally sensitive prevention efforts targeting both parental anxiety and child temperament vulnerabilities.