A positive mental health in mothers fosters authoritative parenting, which supports cognitive development in children, as shown in a study from Singapore.
In the multiethnic GUSTO* cohort involving mother-and-child pairs, specific maternal mental health factors influenced parenting styles. Positive mental health correlated with authoritative parenting (p<0.001) and related parenting behaviours, such as warmth and supportive (p=0.012), reasoning and inductive (p<0.001), and democratic participative (p=0.027). [JAACAP Open 2025;4:241-253]
Conversely, general affective symptoms were positively associated with permissive and authoritarian parenting (p<0.001) and related parenting behaviours, including coercive (p<0.001), verbally hostile (p<0.001), and nonreasoning and punitive (p<0.001).
Child outcomes
Children raised using authoritative parenting had favourable receptive vocabulary (p=0.034), stronger numeracy ability (p=0.001), and higher IQ (p=0.005).
Meanwhile, children raised with an authoritarian or permissive parenting style had lower IQ (p=0.003) and number knowledge (p=0.017) and increased behavioural problems (p<0.001).
Authoritative parenting was not associated with child behavioural problems. Furthermore, there were no associations observed between maternal mental health, parenting styles, and specific parenting behaviours and school readiness or executive function in children.
Mediating factors
Authoritative parenting mediated the relationship between maternal positive mental health and child executive function and cognition. On the other hand, permissive or authoritarian parenting mediated the associations between maternal general affective symptoms and childhood total behavioural problems and poorer cognitive outcomes.
“These findings underscore the association between negative states of maternal mental health and parenting styles for specific developmental outcomes,” according to the authors.
“Positive maternal mental health specifically promotes parenting behaviours associated with optimal cognitive development. The specificity of this pathway is noteworthy as it was not observed with child behavioural problems,” they added.
Parenting styles
The American Psychological Association characterizes authoritative parenting as a nurturing, responsive, and supportive relationship between parents and children. Authoritative parents set firm limits for their children and explain the reasoning behind disciplinary actions. [https://www.apa.org/act/resources/fact-sheets/parenting-styles]
In contrast, authoritarian parents typically engage in a one-way mode of communication, establishing strict rules that the child is expected to follow without question or negotiation. Permissive parents, on the other hand, are warm and lax, often holding minimal expectations for their children. They impose few rules, as they tend to take on a more friend-like role. [Sanvictores T, Mendez MD. Types of Parenting Styles and Effects on Children. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing; 2026]
“Our findings provide novel evidence for the significance of positive maternal affective states for authoritative parenting, specifically associated with cognitive performance and executive function,” the authors said.
They emphasized the importance of establishing a model of support for mothers to promote positive mental well-being. “These programs have the potential for impact on both parenting and cognitive outcomes in the future generation.”
The study included 328 mother–child pairs (mean age at delivery 31 years, 51.5 percent Chinese, 51.2 percent boys). Mothers completed longitudinal postnatal assessments of their mental health and parenting using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire. Behavioural problems, school readiness, executive function, and IQ in children were assessed at 4 to 4.5 years of age using validated behavioural and cognitive assessments.