The influence of parental mental health on child health & development

Parental mental health influences child development in a number of important ways. Specifically, a biopsychosocial model can be utilized to understand the relationships between parental mental health and child development. Parental mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder can confer genetic liability, influence physical development in utero, affect parent-child interactions during childhood, and shape their own parenting behaviors and socialization of their child. This chapter will review some of the key research findings in the area of parental mental health and child health and development, as well as identify the limitations in the literature and future directions for research.