Early Head Start: Factors Associated with Caregiver Knowledge of Child Development, Parenting Behavior, and Parenting Stress.

This study investigates the role of socioeconomic status, parental mental health, and knowledge of child development on parenting styles and perceived parenting stress in caregivers of children, ages 3 months to 3 years, enrolled in Early Head Start (EHS). Caregivers of EHS students were interviewed using the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory, Psychiatric Symptom Index, Parenting Style Expectations Scale to measure optimal parenting behavior, and Parenting Stress Index. Caregivers (n = 125) in this study were primarily African American (95.2%) women (94.6%). Mean psychiatric symptom severity scores for this population of EHS caregivers were in the top 15% of the normative population. Caregivers with more knowledge of child development had more optimal parenting behavior. In addition, more knowledge of child development was associated with lower parent child dysfunctional interaction and lower perceived parenting stress. Household income was positively associated with improved knowledge of child de...