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Abstract

Understanding the factors that influence children's mental health is crucial for early intervention and prevention of long-term emotional/behavioural difficulties. This study has explored the moderating role of parenting role stress on the relationship between negative reactivity and emotional/behavioural difficulties. Participants were 677 White British mothers living in the UK with a mean age of 38.5 years (SD = 5.5), with children whose mean age was 7.44 (SD = 2.2) years. Findings indicated that negative reactivity was a significant predictor of higher emotional/behavioural problems in children. Maternal parenting role stress alone was not significantly associated with child's emotional/behavioural difficulties. Maternal parenting stress had a significant moderating role on the relationship between children's negative reactivity and emotional/behavioural problems. Preventative strategies should focus on resilience-building for children with high negative reactivity, potentially changing the trajectory of emotional/behavioural development. The research highlights the importance of interventions that address child's temperamental predispositions and the surrounding familial environment.

Keywords

temperament negative reactivity parenting stress child mental health emotional and behavioural difficulties

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Parenting Stress as a Moderator: Exploring its Role on the Relationship Between Negative Reactivity and Child Mental Health

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