LAUSR

Behavioural problems in the first five years of life can lead to long-term problems and may have adverse effects on families, school, and the child’s well-being. The objective was to investigate three comprehensive models to explore the pathways that lead to behavioural problems in children of teen, middle age, and advanced age mothers in Canada. This was based on the analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Mothers were grouped into: teen (15–19 years), middle age (20–34 years), and advanced age (35+ years). Using Bronfenbrenner’s theoretical framework, behavioural problems were the outcome measured when the child became 4–5 years old. The predictors examined when the child was 0–1-year-old, and 2–3 years old and were fitted within the systemic levels of the framework. Structural equation modeling was performed separately for each age group. A total of 4787 mothers were analyzed. In all models, neighbourhood quality significantly predicted socioeconomic status (SES), and SES significantly predicted depression. In the teen mother group, only greater depression significantly predicted greater behavioural problems for the child (p = 0.038). In the middle age group, greater depression significantly predicted greater child behavioural problems (p < 0.001); and parenting significantly predicted lower child behavioural problems (p < 0.001). In the advanced age group, only parenting significantly predicted lower behavioural problems (p = 0.005). The pathways from depression and parenting to the behavioural problems differed among the groups. Our results highlight the importance of developing targeted interventions to reduce behavioural problems in children separately by maternal age.