Parental psychological distress and early regulatory problems: Evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Importance: Early regulatory problems (excessive crying, sleeping, or feeding difficulties) may be the starting point of a childhood dysregulation trajectory leading to psychiatric problems. One contributing factor to the development of regulatory problems could be parental psychological distress. Objective: To explore whether the timing of psychological distress (i.e., before, during, or after pregnancy) matters for the likelihood of regulatory problems, and to explore if these effects differ between maternal and paternal psychological distress. Design, Setting, Participants: We used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, which is a stratified random sample of UK households in 2009, with additional ethnic minority boost samples. The sample included 1,280 parents from waves 3 to 13 (2011-2012 to 2021-2022). Exposures: In the waves (years) before and after the infant was born, both mothers and fathers reported on their psychological distress using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Main Outcomes and Measures: Mothers reported on their children’s regulatory problems in the first year of life. Pooled probit regressions were estimated individually for multiple regulatory problems and each regulatory problem controlling for a range of covariates. Results: Parental psychological distress before or during pregnancy did not predict the development of multiple regulatory problems. However, children were 3.7 percentage points more likely to experience multiple regulatory problems if their mothers had psychological in the postnatal period. There was also an association between mother’s psychological distress during pregnancy and feeding problems (3.6 percentage points), and in the postnatal period with crying (5.4 percentage points) and sleeping problems (8.6 percentage points). In contrast, father’s psychological distress before or during pregnancy had no impact on the development of early regulatory problems. However, father’s psychological distress in the postnatal period was associated with 4 percentage point increased likelihood of crying problems. Conclusions and Relevance: While maternal psychological distress during pregnancy had some association with specific regulatory problems, the postnatal period was the most critical time for both mothers and fathers in influencing children's regulatory problems. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing parental psychological well-being, especially after childbirth, to potentially reduce the risk of early childhood dysregulation and subsequent psychiatric issues.