The impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on early child development is well-established, but the mediating role of parental mental health is poorly understood. Data were obtained from The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; n = 13,855), including measures of early SES (age 8 months), key aspects of development during mid-late childhood (ages 7–8 years), and maternal mental health during early childhood (ages 0–3 years). In the first year of life, better maternal mental health was shown to weaken the negative association between SES and child mental health. Better maternal mental health was additionally shown to weaken the association between SES and child cognitive ability. These findings highlight the variability and complexity of the mediating role of parental mental health on child development. They further emphasise the importance of proximal factors in the first year of life, such as parental mental health, in mediating key developmental outcomes.

社会经济地位（SES）对儿童早期发展的影响是众所周知的，但父母心理健康的中介作用却知之甚少。数据来自雅芳父母和儿童纵向研究 (ALSPAC； n = 13,855)，包括早期 SES（8 个月大）、儿童中晚期（7-8 岁）发育的关键方面以及母亲的评估。幼儿期（0-3 岁）的心理健康。在生命的第一年，更好的母亲心理健康被证明可以减弱社会经济地位与儿童心理健康之间的负相关关系。此外，更好的母亲心理健康也被证明会削弱社会经济地位与儿童认知能力之间的关联。这些发现凸显了父母心理健康对儿童发展的中介作用的可变性和复杂性。他们进一步强调了生命第一年的近端因素（例如父母的心理健康）在调节关键发育结果中的重要性。