A longitudinal mediation analysis of the effect of Aboriginal Australian mothers’ experience of perceived racism on children’s social and emotional well-being

ABSTRACT Objectives It is known that parental experiences of perceived racism are associated with poorer mental health in children. However, little is known about the mechanism of transmission of intergenerational racism among Aboriginal Australians. This study aims to explore the causal effect of Aboriginal mothers’ experience of perceived racism on children’s social and emotional well-being mediated by parenting sense of competence. Method Pregnant Aboriginal women (N = 159) reported their experiences of perceived racism using the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experiences instrument, and completed a five year follow-up survey, reporting their sense of parenting competence using the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale and their child’s social and emotional well-being using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A single causal mediation analysis was used to examine the causal effects while accounting for confounding variables (mother’s age, education, and socioeconomic status). Results Mothers who experienced perceived racism in at least one setting were at an increased odds of their child experiencing social and emotional difficulties (OR = 1.28, 95% CI [0.55, 2.98]). This effect was not mediated by parenting sense of competence, despite an effect between parenting competence and children’s social and emotional well-being (OR = 0.44, 95% CI [0.19, 1.06]). Conclusions The findings suggest that maternal experiences of perceived racism has a longitudinal effect on their children’s social and emotional well-being, which is not mediated through the mothers’ parenting sense of competence. These findings highlight the importance of reducing racism as these may have far-reaching effects across generations on socio-social and emotional well-being. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: Racism is a significant public health issue in Australia as experiences of racism are highly prevalent among Aboriginal Australians, and associated with adverse health and wellbeing. The effects of racism are known to have pervasive intergenerational impacts, with parental experiences of racism affecting children’s social and emotional wellbeing. To date, little is known about the mechanism by which parental perceptions of racism lead to adverse social-emotional wellbeing for children. What this topic adds: This paper is the first to explore whether parenting sense of competence mediates the effect of maternal experience of perceived racism on children’s social and emotional well-being. Children aged five years were at an increased risk of social and emotional difficulties if their mother had experienced perceived racism in at least one setting during pregnancy. The impact of maternal experience of perceived racism on children’s social and emotional well-being was not transmitted through the mother’s parenting sense of competence.