Research Article: Parental employment status and preschoolers' emotional and behavioral problems in Western China: a cross-sectional study
Abstract:
Guided by the Family Economic Stress Model, this study investigated the associations between parental employment status and emotional and behavioral problems among preschoolers in Western China.
This cross-sectional study included 21,968 children aged 3–6 years recruited from 189 kindergartens. Parental employment status was categorized into four family-level patterns and further analyzed separately for paternal and maternal employment. Children's outcomes were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.
Father-only employment was associated with higher internalizing problems (aOR?=?1.11) but lower externalizing problems (aOR?=?0.90); dual non-employment was associated with increased internalizing problems (aOR?=?1.31). Paternal unemployment was linked to externalizing problems (aOR?=?1.25), while maternal non-employment was associated with internalizing problems (aOR?=?1.11–1.27). No significant effect modification was observed after FDR correction.
Parental employment status is associated with preschoolers' emotional and behavioral problems in a gender-differentiated manner. Paternal unemployment is primarily linked to externalizing problems, whereas maternal non-employment is more strongly associated with internalizing problems.
Introduction:
Emotional and behavioral problems in preschoolers represent a major public health concern worldwide, with an estimated 10%–20% of children experiencing clinically significant difficulties that can persist into later life ( 1 , 2 ). The preschool period (3–6 years) is a critical window for neurodevelopment and socialization, during which family environmental factors profoundly shape long-term psychosocial outcomes ( 3 , 4 ). In China, rapid socioeconomic transformation over the past four decades has dramatically…
Read more