Executive summary
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Chronic illness and disability are long-term health conditions with wide-ranging outcomes beyond the individual, leading to outcomes that also affect other members of their family. This report examined how maternal chronic illness or disability during their child’s infancy is associated with different socio-emotional and cognitive outcomes for children during early and mid-childhood. In addition, it examined how socio-economic and parenting factors can influence these outcomes. This report used descriptive statistics and regression models to explain the association between maternal reports of living with a chronic illness or disability and child psychological outcomes during early and mid-childhood using the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort. These outcomes included maternal ratings of their child’s socio-emotional development (as measured by the dimensions from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ) and maternal reports of their cognitive development, through measures of early English language skill and communication ability. The findings from this report show that:

- The association between maternal chronic illness and disability is negligible at early ages (at ages two and five), particularly before starting school.

- At mid-childhood (at age eight), there are differences in socio-emotional outcomes between children with a mother who has experienced a long term health condition and other children.

- Maternal chronic illness and disability are not associated with their children’s early English language development. Family socio-economic resources and mothers’ parenting styles have positive impacts on children’s socio-emotional outcomes in families with maternal chronic illness and disability. These findings suggest that maternal health status and disability present at their child’s infancy is related to different children’s socio-emotional outcomes at mid-childhood, after starting school, rather than at early ages. In addition, family factors such as greater socio-economic resources and more positive parenting is also related to better socio-emotional outcomes. Together, these results highlight the importance of providing relevant economic and support services for mothers with chronic illness or disability, thereby removing potential barriers to successful positive parenting.

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Huang, Y., Silva Goncalves, J., Lam, J., & Baxter, J. (2022). Maternal health and children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development: New evidence from the Growing Up in New Zealand study. Ministry of Social Development. https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/research/children-and-families-research-fund/maternal-health-and-children-s-socio-emotional-and-cognitive-development.pdf

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