The Intergenerational Consequences of Poor Maternal Health

Jessica H. Hardie, Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
Kristin Turney, University of California, Irvine

Scholars have theorized interrelationships between family members’ health, health behaviors, and wellbeing (Christensen 2004; Novilla et al. 2006). Yet little is known about the influence of poor maternal health as a dimension of risk for children. This research uses panel data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N=3,337) to estimate the relationship between maternal health problems (fair or poor overall health and health limitations) and children’s externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Preliminary findings reveal that maternal health problems have serious implications for children’s behavior problems net of other family factors. These findings support the development of health policies and interventions aimed at families.