Relationship of Mothers’ Spiritual, Social, and Mental Health and Self-efficacy with Child Development: A Path Analysis

Background Developmental disorders are important in children, but there is not enough information regarding risk factors, and their effects on developmental disorders. We aimed to design a relational model and assess the relationship of mothers’ spiritual, social, and mental health and self-efficacy with child development. Materials and Methods: The present analytical cross-sectional study enrolled 285 mothers with 18-month-old children through multistage sampling in health centers in Tehran, Iran. Mothers completed the following questionnaires in four months to collect the data: a demographic questionnaire, Paloutzian and Ellison’s Spiritual Health Scale, Keyes’ Social Health Scale, Goldberg’s mental health scale, Sherer’s Self-Efficacy Scale (SES), and the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ). The data and theoretical Path Model were analyzed using SPSS software version 19.0 and LISREL software version 8.8. Results: Developmental delay was observed in 21.8% (n=62) of children. Maternal spiritual health, both directly (β=0.35), and indirectly, had an increasing and positive effect on the children’s development through increasing social health, increasing self-efficacy and decreasing mental health score (β=0.206). Maternal social health, both directly (β=0.16), and indirectly, had an increasing and positive effect on the children’s development through increasing self-efficacy (β=0.0465). Maternal mental health had a direct and decreasing effect on the children’s development (β= -0.14), but mother’s self-efficacy had a direct and increasing effect on the children’s development (β= 0.31. The final path model was well-fitted (RMSEA=0.025, GFI=1, NFI=1). Conclusion Considering the results and the impact of factors such as spiritual, mental health, social health and self-efficacy on one another and the developmental delay in children, it appears necessary to screen for these factors for early diagnosis and intervention.