Direct and indirect effects of socio-economic status on child development: is developmental parenting a relevant mediator?

The parent–child relationship has been presented as one of the most important contexts in the early stages of life, but not all caregivers provide an optimal environment for development. Some parental and environmental factors exert a particularly strong influence on development. Parental practices and socioeconomic status are the factors most strongly correlated with various developmental outcomes. We aimed to examine the associations between parenting, indicators of SES and developmental outcomes. The sample comprised 77 mother–child dyads and data were collected using an SES questionnaire, developmental measure (IDADI) and observation protocol for parental practices (PICCOLO). Maternal education predicted almost all IDADI scores, except for socioemotional development, which was better mediated by developmental parenting. These results indicate that whilst maternal literacy and income may be important predictors of developmental outcomes that depend on formal education, they do not predict the development of empathy, social relationships, and emotional regulation.