Patrizia Picado

The Effects of Parental Stress and Social Support on Toddler’s Socio-emotional and Language Development in Low-Income Households

The present study investigated how parenting stress influences language and socio-emotional development in low-income households and examined the moderating role of social support using data from the Baby FACES 2018 dataset (N = 2,810). Parenting stress was measured using the PSI-4-SF, social support via the HFPI Social Support subscale, and developmental outcomes through the MacArthur-Bates CDI and BITSEA. Our findings indicate that gender is a significant predictor, with females performing better in language skills (β = 1.65, t(2840) = 5.76, p < .0001), social competence (β = −0.79, t(2840) = −3.47, p < .0001), and problem behaviors (β = .95, t(2840) = 8.53, p < .0001). For language development, neither parental stress, race, nor social support emerged as direct predictors of language outcomes. The interaction between stress and social support was also non-significant. In contrast, parental stress was a significant predictor of problem behaviors (β = .12, t(2840) = 5.03, p < .0001). However, social support did not significantly predict problem behaviors, and the interaction between parental stress and social support was non-significant. Regarding social competence, age (β = .10, t(2840) = 18.81, p < .0001) and social support (β = .09, t(2840) = 2.30, p = .02) were significant predictors, while parental stress was not. The interaction between parental stress and social support was significant (β = .00, t(2840) = −1.98, p = .048). Our finding suggests that parental stress, especially when it reaches high levels, can negatively affect children's social-emotional outcomes, such as aggression, withdrawal, and anxiety. However, the indirect effects of parental stress on language development or social competence highlight the multidimensional nature of toddlers' developmental environments.