A double prevention: How maternal education can affect maternal mental health, child health and child cognitive development

Authors

  • Mariachiara Di Cesare Department of Education, University of Sussex Essex House, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QQ UK
  • Ricardo Sabates School of Education, University of Sussex
  • Keith M. Lewin Department of Education, University of Sussex Essex House, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QQ UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14301/llcs.v4i3.233

Keywords:

maternal education, maternal mental health, child nutrition, child cognitive development, Young Lives Study

Abstract

This study uses the longitudinal data of Young Lives for Peru to investigate the protective role that maternal education has for children whose mothers suffer from mental health problems.  Our first set of findings confirms previous research in this area by showing that maternal education is associated with reduced risk of mental health problems for mothers and with improved nutrition and cognitive development for their children.  We further find that maternal education reduces the burden of maternal mental health problems on child development. This is particularly the case for children of mothers with high levels of education.  Unfortunately, for children of mothers with low levels of education maternal mental health problems continues to predict poor nutritional status and poor cognitive development for children. These results suggest that monitoring and support may be especially important for mothers with lower levels of education if inequalities across generations are to be reduced.

Author Biography

Ricardo Sabates, School of Education, University of Sussex

Dr Sabates is an economist working as a Senior Lecturer in International Education and Development at the University of Sussex.  Ricardo completed his PhD in Development Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was employed as a researcher for 6 years at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Downloads

Published

2013-09-09

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2013): Longitudinal and Life Course Studies

Section

Papers

License

Authors who published with Longitudinal and Life Course Studies Volumes 1–9 agreed to the following terms:

1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work, simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

2. Following first publication in this Journal, Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal, provided always that no charge is made for its use.

3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.