UC Davis

Background: Emotional health is associated with mental and physical wellness for children and adults. Latinx populations may be particularly vulnerable to emotional dysfunction, due to higher rates of economic hardship and complex social influences in this group. Little is known about relationships between material hardship and both emotional dysfunction or stress in Latinx families. Methods: This two-part study of over 400 caregivers and their children utilized data from the enrollment phase of a previous randomized clinical trial. In part one, we used multinomial regressions to examine associations between level of household social need or select household needs, maternal acculturation, and self-reported maternal emotional problems or perceived stress. In part two, we used logistic and multinomial regressions to examine how the predictors of maternal perceived stress, maternal hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and level of household social need or select household needs, were associated with our primary outcomes of child emotional function and child HCC. In both studies, we controlled for important sociodemographic and health covariates to better isolate the individual effect of each independent variable. Results: Both emotional dysfunction and social needs were high for the sample. Household social needs predicted worse maternal emotional problems and stress outcomes but were not associated with child emotional function or HCC. Maternal perceived stress predicted child emotional dysfunction but not child HCC. Maternal HCC predicted child HCC, but only in those with high concentrations in both groups. Spanish as preferred language appeared to represent potential protective factors against maternal emotional problems. Conclusion: Household social needs were associated with emotional problems and stress in Latinx mothers, and maternal stress was associated with emotional dysfunction or stress in their children. Less acculturated mothers may experience protective factors that reduce their risk of emotional problems related to social needs. Our findings support the need for integrated mental health and social needs screening and interventions in clinical settings that serve at-risk mothers and children. More research is needed on the unique cultural factors that may influence emotional health and stress in both Latinx mothers and children, as well as the role hair cortisol can play as a measure of stress in this population.