The role of mother-child relationship in the linkage between maternal and child psychosocial functioning

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that a child’s attachment relationship with the mother and the mother’s psychosocial functioning are influential to the child’s psychosocial functioning in terms of the development of psychopathology. The current study aimed to examine the relationships between maternal and child psychosocial functioning in terms of internalizing and externalizing symptoms and sleep problems, as well as child attachment quality. The potential mediating or moderating role of attachment quality in the mother-child psychosocial functioning linkage was investigated. A total of 151 children and their mothers from a local community sample participated in the study. The children reported on their sleep problems and attachment quality. The mothers reported on their sleep problems, their children’s sleep problems, their internalizing symptoms, and their children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results showed that maternal internalizing symptoms were predictive of child internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Attachment quality was predictive of child externalizing symptoms. The relationships among maternal and child sleep problems and attachment quality were inconclusive. No mediation or moderation effect of attachment quality on the relationship between maternal and child psychosocial functioning was suggested. Implications and future research directions were discussed.