1.45 PARENTING STRESS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS

Objectives: While previous studies have shown a strong relationship between caregiver depression and early childhood behavioral and emotional problems (BEP), little is known about the association between parenting stress and child BEP. Thus, the objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to describe the prevalence of self-reported parenting stress among caregivers attending pediatric well-child visits with children aged 36-60 months; and 2) to examine which specific child BEPs are associated with parenting stress. Methods: This study involved secondary analysis of data from a well-child screening study conducted in three large, urban pediatric primary care clinics in North Florida. Child BEPs were assessed using the Early Childhood Screening Assessment (ECSA), a parent-report screening tool for children aged 18-60 months. Parenting stress was assessed through two ECSA selfreport items. Logistic regression was used to examine significant associations between parental stress and specific child BEP. Results: Parents (N = 2,645) completed questionnaires, 21.9 percent (n = 578) of whom endorsed experiencing stress. Significant associations between parenting stress and specific child BEP were identified, particularly with the following seven ECSA items: is irritable/easily annoyed [OR = 1.96 (95% 1.54-2.50)], argues with adults [1.77 (1.41-2.22)], is very disobedient [1.72 (1.32-2.25)], might wander off it not supervised [1.71 (1.38-2.11)], does not seem to listen to adults talking to them [1.59 (1.27-2.00)], interrupts frequently [1.53 (1.26-1.87)], and fidgets or cannot sit quietly [1.46 (1.20-1.77)]. Conclusions: Parenting stress was reported by almost 25 percent of caregivers of preschool-aged children, indicating the utility of screening for parenting stress during well-child visits. Furthermore, parents who reported experiencing stress also were significantly more likely to report specific externalizing child behaviors that can be characterized as dyadic, behaviors that involve and directly affect the parent-child relationship. Although the direction of the relationship has yet to be determined, the relative risk associated with these dyadic difficulties should be assessed, particularly in relation to a possible long-term impact on child BEP as well as on parental stress and mood.