IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v22y2025i6p916-d1675452.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Maternal Stress and Child Development: The Moderating Role of Interactive Shared Reading

Author

Listed:
  • Chrystian R. Kroeff

    (Graduate Program in Psychology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil)

  • Juliana R. Bernardi

    (Graduate Program in Food, Nutrition and Health, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-903, Brazil
    Graduate Program in Child and Adolescent Health, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-903, Brazil)

  • Clécio H. Da Silva

    (Graduate Program in Child and Adolescent Health, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-903, Brazil)

  • Nádia C. Valentini

    (Graduate Program in Sciences of Human Movement, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil)

  • Marcelo Z. Goldani

    (Graduate Program in Child and Adolescent Health, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-903, Brazil)

  • Denise R. Bandeira

    (Graduate Program in Psychology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil)

Abstract

Research suggests that maternal stress is related to aspects of child development. Positive and stimulating interactions, such as shared reading, may act as protective factors, mitigating the negative effects of maternal stress on children’s development and behavior. This cohort study investigated the predictive relationship between maternal stress and children’s milestones and behavioral problems, with maternal interactive style during shared reading as a moderator. A total of 91 mother–child dyads participated. During the shared reading session, conducted in a private room at a research center, each mother and child interacted freely while reading a book, without specific instructions. The sessions were video-recorded and later analyzed by trained researchers using an established method. Children’s data were assessed using questionnaires completed by the mother on the same day. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed to build regression models with moderation analysis. Results revealed that maternal stress significantly predicted children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Notably, more affectionate interactions during shared reading can moderate the effect of stress on children’s externalizing difficulties. These findings suggest that fostering positive and engaging interactions between mothers and children, such as shared reading, may have a beneficial impact on children’s behavioral development, even in the presence of maternal stress.

Suggested Citation

  • Chrystian R. Kroeff & Juliana R. Bernardi & Clécio H. Da Silva & Nádia C. Valentini & Marcelo Z. Goldani & Denise R. Bandeira, 2025. "Maternal Stress and Child Development: The Moderating Role of Interactive Shared Reading," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(6), pages 1-17, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:6:p:916-:d:1675452
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/6/916/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/6/916/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2020. "Shedding light on maternal education and child health in developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kien Le & My Nguyen, 2022. "The impacts of rainfall shocks on birth weight in Vietnam," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 143-159, April.
    2. Nadia Singh & Areet Kaur, 2022. "The COVID‐19 pandemic: Narratives of informal women workers in Indian Punjab," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 388-407, March.
    3. Claire F. Brereton & Paul Jagals, 2021. "Applications of Systems Science to Understand and Manage Multiple Influences within Children’s Environmental Health in Least Developed Countries: A Causal Loop Diagram Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-23, March.
    4. Kien Le, 2022. "Pre-Recorded Lectures, Live Online Lectures, and Student Academic Achievement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-10, March.
    5. Byaro, Mwoya & Mpeta, Daniel, 2021. "Secondary Education and its Effects on Child Health: Empirical Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 9(2), April.
    6. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2021. "Education and political engagement," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2021. "In-utero Exposure to Rainfall Variability and Early Childhood Health," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    8. Mechlowitz, Karah & Roba, Kedir Teji & Feye, Abera & Laytner, Lindsey & McKune, Sarah, 2022. "Chronic undernutrition and adolescent school performance in central Ethiopia," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 22(04).
    9. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2020. "Armed conflict and birth weight," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    10. Nguyen-Phung, Hang Thu, 2023. "The impact of maternal education on child mortality: Evidence from an increase tuition fee policy in Vietnam," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    11. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2020. "The Impacts of Armed Conflict on Child Health: Evidence from 56 Developing Countries," MPRA Paper 109896, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2022. "Desert locust swarms and child health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    13. García, Carlos J. & González, Wildo D. & Rivera, Tiare, 2024. "Robots at work in emerging developing countries: How bad could it be?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    14. Nguyen, My, 2019. "Political Violence and Child Height: Evidence from the 2003 Casablanca Bombings," MPRA Paper 111205, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Mookerjee, Mehreen & Ojha, Manini & Roy, Sanket, 2023. "Family planning practices: Examining the link between contraception and child health," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    16. Mónica Ruiz-Casares & Ruo Ying Feng & Negin Zamani & René Iwo & Magdalena Janus & Afua Twum-Danso Imoh & José Ignacio Nazif-Muñoz, 2025. "Children supervising children across low- and middle-income countries: the role of mothers’ education," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    17. Le, Kien & Nguyen, My, 2020. "The Impacts of Temperature Shocks on Birth Weight in Vietnam," MPRA Paper 110325, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Kien, Le, 2020. "Internet Access for Children’s Online Schooling during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Parental Mental Health," MPRA Paper 110579, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Kien Le & My Nguyen, 2023. "The impacts of armed conflict on child health: Evidence from 56 developing countries," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 60(2), pages 243-257, March.
    20. Kien Le & My Nguyen, 2021. "The Impacts of Temperature Shocks on Birth Weight in Vietnam," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(4), pages 1025-1047, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:6:p:916-:d:1675452. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.