Benefits of maternal education for mental health trajectories across childhood and adolescence

RATIONALE: Mental health problems in children and adolescents are widespread and are a primary public health concern worldwide. During childhood and adolescence different challenges must be met. Whether the corresponding developmental tasks can be mastered successfully and in a psychologically healthy manner depends on the availability of resources.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to examine the benefits of maternal education on the development of mental health in children and adolescents.

METHOD: Data from 2810 participants (48.7% female, 7- to 19-years old) of the longitudinal BELLA study (mental health module of the representative German KiGGS study) were analyzed from up to four measurement points (2003-2012). Individual growth modeling was employed to estimate the benefits of maternal education (Comparative Analysis of Social Mobility in Industrial Nations, CASMIN) for the trajectories of mental health problems (parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ) in children and adolescents.

RESULTS: Children of mothers with low education had significantly more mental health problems compared to children of mothers with high education. This difference due to maternal education applied for girls as well as boys and especially for participants who did not live with both biological parents. Further, the difference in mental health problems due to varying maternal education decreased with increasing age of the participants.

CONCLUSION: Prevention programs should focus on children of mothers with lower education who additionally live in single- or step-parent families as a high-risk group. Knowledge of the underlying mechanism between education and mental health is highly important.