Developmental Pathways Linking Maternal Depressive Symptoms with Parenting Quality and Preschool Children’s Screen Time: The Role of Children’s Behavioural Problems

Background: Maternal depressive symptoms have been associated with adverse child and family outcomes, including child behavioural problems, suboptimal parenting quality, and increased child screen time. However, the developmental pathways linking these factors remain poorly understood. The first model of this study examined whether children’s behavioural problems mediated associations between maternal depressive symptoms and later parenting quality (i.e., nurturant, hostile, consistent). The second model then investigated whether these pathways extended to preschool children’s screen time during the pre-bedtime period. Methods: Longitudinal data from the APrON Study (N = 373 dyads) were analyzed. A mean score for maternal depressive symptoms (EPDS) was derived using data collected across pregnancy and 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum. At age 3 years, child behaviour was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. At 5 years, parenting quality was measured using the Parenting Scale, and children’s screen time (frequency of use before bedtime) was assessed using a single maternal-reported item developed by the APrON team. Parallel and parallel serial mediation models were estimated using structural equation modeling. Findings: Maternal depressive symptoms were indirectly associated with more hostile parenting through children’s externalizing problems (p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.02, 0.11]) and directly associated with less nurturant parenting (p = 0.02, 95% CI [−0.19, −0.02]). Results from the parallel serial mediation model indicated that maternal depressive symptoms were indirectly associated with greater child screen time via children’s externalizing problems (p = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.06]). Significance: These findings suggest that children’s externalizing problems may represent a plausible pathway linking maternal depressive symptoms with later maternal hostile parenting and preschool children’s screen time.