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

Objective: This study examined whether parental psychological distress experienced before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or in the postnatal period was associated with multiple regulatory problems (e.g., co-occurring excessive crying and sleeping problems) and single regulatory problems (e.g., excessive crying only), and whether associations differ between mothers and fathers. Methods: Participants were 1,378 families (49.9% female and 50.1% male infants) from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Parents reported on their psychological distress before and during pregnancy and in the postnatal period using the shortened 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire. Mothers reported on their infants’ regulatory problems in the first year of life. Results: Maternal postnatal psychological distress was associated with higher probabilities of infant crying problems (2.7 percentage points) and multiple regulatory problems (1.7 percentage points). Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy was indirectly associated with crying problems through postnatal psychological distress. Maternal psychological distress before pregnancy was associated with sleeping problems, and maternal psychological distress during pregnancy showed a small total effect on feeding problems. No significant associations were observed for paternal psychological distress, and maternal and paternal effects did not differ statistically. Conclusions: The findings highlight the postnatal period as an important period for monitoring parental psychological wellbeing and infant regulatory difficulties.