Depressive symptoms and parenting alliance as mediators between food insecurity and child behavior

Figures & data

Figure 1. Proposed model.

Table 1. Demographics for the total sample n = 99

Variable	Mean	SE	SD	%	Median	N
Child’s age (months)	73.57	3.92	38.99		66
Child gender
Boy				55.6		55
Girl				44.4		44
Mothers’ employment status
Employed				29.3		29
Unemployed				70.7		70
Mothers’ age (years)	32.36	.793	7.87
Mothers’ education level
8th grade or less				24.2		24
Some high school				23.2		23
High school				23.2		23
GED				8.1		8
Specialized technical, business or vocational training				6.1		6
Some college including AA				11.1		11
Bachelor’s degree				4		4
Family structure
Single, never married, not cohabiting				3		3
Currently single (previously divorced or widowed)				4		4
Married				61.6		61
In a civil union				5.1		5
In a domestic partnership				7.1		7
In a cohabiting relationship (i. e. living together)				15.2		15
Other-Please specify				4		4
Total household income					$25,000–$29,999

Table 2. Demographics by child age: older: 6–12 years old; younger: 1 ½−5 years old

Variable	Older	Younger
Child’s age in months	M = 109.54 SE = 3.47 SD = 23.55	M = 42.34 SE = 2.15 SD = 15.68
Child gender
Boy	56.5	54.7
Girl	43.5	45.3
Mothers’ employment status
Employed	28.3	30.2
Unemployed	71.7	69.8
Mothers’ age in years	M = 36.04 SE = 1.10 SD = 7.25	M = 29.17 SE = .96 SD = 7.02
Mothers’ education level
8th grade or less	34.8	15.1
Some high school	17.4	28.3
High school	23.9	22.6
GED	6.5	9.4
Technical, business or vocational training	6.5	5.7
Some college	6.5	15.1
Bachelors degree	4.3	3.8
Family structure
Single	2.2	3.8
Divorced or widowed	4.3	3.8
Married	69.6	54.7
Civil union	2.2	7.5
Domestic partnership	4.3	9.4
Cohabiting relationship	15.2	15.2
Other	2.2	5.7
Total household income	$25,000–$29,999	$20,000–$24,999

Table 3. Descriptive statistics of the study variables for the total sample n = 99

Variable	M	SD	n
Younger internalizing	7.99	6.71	38
Younger externalizing	11.60	8.99	37
Older internalizing	7.67	5.36	42
Older externalizing	8.10	7.58	42
CESD	5.76	4.85	99
Parenting Alliance	91.71	10.85	99
Financial distress	24.70	3.57	99
Food insecurity	1.04	1.50	99

Table 4. Descriptives by child age: older: 6–12 years old (n = 46); younger: 1 ½−5 years old (n = 53)

Variable	Older M (SD)	Younger M (SD)
CESD	5.93 (4.97)	5.60 (4.78)
Parenting Alliance	91.66 (11.95)	91.76 (9.91)
Financial distress	25.10 (3.14)	24.36 (3.90)
Food insecurity	1.11 (.98)	1.34 (1.59)

Table 5. Pearson correlations of study variables total sample n = 99

Variables	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1. Younger internalizing Behavior	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2. Younger externalizing behavior	.84**	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
3. Older internalizing behavior	.b	.b	1	—	—	—	—	—
4. Older externalizing behavior	.b	.b	.37*	1	—	—	—	—
5. CESD	.16	.20	.01	.18	1	—	—	—
6. Parenting alliance	−.06	−.10	.06	−.20	−.32**	1	—	—
7. Financial distress	.07	.16	.20	.07	.27**	−.01	1	—
8. Food insecurity	.06	.20	.01	.31*	.14	.06	.16	1

**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

b cannot be computed because at least one of the variables is constant.

Table 6. Pearson correlations of study variables for older group of children (above the diagonal) and younger group of children (below the diagonal)

	1	2	3	4	5	6
1. Internalizing behavior	1	.37*	.01	.06	.20	.01
2. Externalizing behavior	.84**	1	.18	−.20	.07	.31*
3. CESD	.16	.20	1	−.34*	.27	.20
4. Parenting alliance	−.06	−.10	−.30*	1	−.06	.13
5. Financial distress	.07	.16	.27	.03	1	.18
6. Food security	.06	.20	.09	.01	.14	1

**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Table 7. Path analysis of model

Parameter Estimate Older group	Unstandardized	Standardized	p
Food insecurity→ CESD	.87 (.66)	.23	.19
Food insecurity→ Parenting alliance	1.73 (1.12)	.20	.12
Food insecurity→ Internalizing behavior	−.06 (.70)	−.02	.93
Food insecurity→ Externalizing behavior	1.87 (1.29)	.33	.15
CESD → Parenting alliance	−.96 (.35)	−.41	.007
CESD→Internalizing behavior	.07 (.22)	.07	.731
CESD → Externalizing behavior	.07 (.30)	.04	.825
Parenting alliance →Internalizing behavior	.05 (.06)	.11	.396
Parenting alliance → Externalizing behavior	−.15 (.13)	−.22	.249
Parameter Estimate Younger group
Food insecurity → CESD	.18 (.44)	.06	.68
Food insecurity → Parenting alliance	.29 (.88)	.05	.75
Food insecurity → Internalizing behavior	.08 (.67)	.02	.90
Food insecurity→Externalizing behavior	.81 (.85)	.15	.34
CESD →Parenting alliance	−.57 (.36)	−.27	.12
CESD → Internalizing behavior	.17 (.28)	.12	.55
CESD → Externalizing behavior	.28 (.34)	.15	.41
Parenting alliance→Internalizing behavior	.01 (.09)	.02	.87
Parenting alliance→Externalizing behavior	−.02 (.12)	−.02	.88

Path analysis.

Note: χ²(8) = 10.80, p = .21; CFI = .95; TLI = 0.82; RMSEA = .08.