Low socioeconomic status, parental stress, depression, and the buffering role of network social capital in mothers

Background Pathways underlying the stress-depression relationship in mothers, and the factors that buffer this relationship are not well understood. Aims Drawing from the Stress Process model, this study examines (1) if parental stress mediates the association between socioeconomic characteristics and depressive symptoms, and (2) if social support and network capital moderate these pathways. Method Data came from 101 mothers from Montreal. Generalized structural equation models were conducted, with depressive symptoms (CES-D scores) as the outcome, socioeconomic stressors as independent variables, parental stress as the mediator, and social support and network social capital as moderators. Results Parental stress partially mediated the association between household income and depressive symptoms (indirect effect: beta = -0.09, Bootstrap SE = 0.03, 95% CI = -0.15 to -0.03p = 0.00). Network diversity moderated the relationship between parental stress and depressive symptoms (beta = -0.25, 95% CI = -0.42 to -0.09,p = 0.00); at high levels of stress, mothers with high compared to low network diversity reported fewer symptoms. Conclusion Findings highlight the role that socioeconomic factors play in influencing women's risk of depression and shaping the benefits that ensue from social resources. Addressing these factors requires interventions that target the social determinants of depression.