Unraveling reciprocal associations: A cross-lagged panel network analysis of maternal psychological distress and child’s internalizing problems

This study utilized cross-lagged panel network analysis to examine the dynamic links between maternal psychological distress and offspring internalizing problems (depression, anxiety, social withdrawal) across childhood. The data were drawn from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study, consisting of questionnaire reports from 2,149 Singaporean mothers collected in 2018 and 2021, assessing maternal psychological distress and children’s internalizing problems (54.8% male; Mage at T1 = 5.13 years, SD = 1.22; Mage at T2 = 7.13 years, SD = 1.22). Findings from the contemporaneous networks indicated that, in 2018, maternal sadness emerged as a core symptom, while children’s worries functioned as a key bridging symptom. In 2021, maternal hopelessness emerged as a core symptom, and children’s feelings of worthlessness functioned as a key bridging symptom. Temporal network analyses (2018 → 2021) further showed that maternal feelings of worthlessness and restlessness in 2018 robustly predicted maternal psychological distress in 2021. Likewise, children’s depressive mood, fearfulness, and emotional reactivity in 2018 (ages 2–8 years) significantly predicted children’s internalizing problems in 2021 (ages 4–10 years) and also exacerbated maternal psychological distress. These findings highlight symptom-level networks and reveal mechanisms underlying symptom transmission, offering insight for intervening in maladaptive mother–child psychological cycles.