Maternal Stress Mediates Association of Infant Socioemotional Development with Perinatal Mental Health in Socioeconomically Vulnerable Peruvian Settings

Magaly Nóblega (), Olenka Retiz, Juan Nuñez del Prado and Ramón Bartra
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Magaly Nóblega: Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima 15088, Peru
Olenka Retiz: Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima 15088, Peru
Juan Nuñez del Prado: Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima 15088, Peru
Ramón Bartra: Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima 15088, Peru

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Increased maternal mental health during the perinatal period has been widely associated with a variety of positive outcomes for both mothers and infants. However, no studies in Peru have yet focused on studying maternal mental health and related psychological variables during this stage. Thus, the aim of this study was to test a model to associate a mother’s parental stress with infant socioemotional difficulties and maternal mental health. The sample included 988 mothers of infants aged 6 to 18 months from Peru, all from socioeconomically vulnerable settings. The findings showed that infant socioemotional difficulties were associated with poorer maternal mental health through the mother’s parental stress ( χ 2 (7) = 28.89, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.03). These results provide a better understanding of the key elements associated with maternal mental health during the perinatal period in Peru and offer valuable insights for developing interventions and support strategies for socioeconomically vulnerable mothers and their young children.

Keywords: perinatal; maternal mental health; parental stress; socioemotional development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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