Profiles of Mother-Infant Risk in a Nationally Representative Sample

This study examined profiles of maternal-infant risk with data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal StudyBirth Cohort (a nationally representative sample of U.S. families with a new infant in 2001) based on various infant (birth weight, prematurity), maternal (education, unemployment, unwanted pregnancy, teen birth), relationship (infant difficulty, authoritarian parenting, low developmental knowledge), and socio-environmental (poverty, public assistance) characteristics. Results of latent class analysis suggested three distinct profiles, with 56.1 % of families characterized as having little risk in these areas (low risk), 4.3 % characterized by a low birth weight and/or premature infant (high-biological risk), and 39.6 % characterized by a greater probability of risk in all areas, particularly poverty (high-risk). Mothers in the high-risk profile were disproportionately single, as well as reported greater food insecurity and depressive symptoms. Non-English households and families of color were also overrepresented in the high-risk profile, indicating important race and ethnic disparities. Additionally, profile membership was associated with observed mother-infant interactions and infant developmental outcomes when infants were 9 months old, with families from the low risk profile tending to demonstrate the best outcomes. However, small effect sizes indicated only slight differences across these three broad groups. More research is needed to examine variation in parenting and child outcomes within each risk profile, particularly family strengths that support mothers and infants most prone to risk.