Chapter 12shown in the online Table A12.1,^21 which shows that the
gross correlation between mother’s involvement and GCSE
performance at age 16 is 0.05 while the net correlation is
0.02. The difference arises partly because the children of
involved parents go to better schools, and partly because
involved parents are richer.
When it comes to intellectual development, the net effect
of parents’ mental health and aggressive parenting is small.
But the gross effect is augmented by the types of school their
children go to— and by the family’s economic resources.
Conclusion
We do not claim that this is the last word on parenting. But
some clear conclusions emerge
- A mother’s mental health is critical for the happi-
ness and behavior of her children. It deserves high
Table 12.3. How parents affect the intellectual development of their
children (ALSPAC) (β- coefficients)Effect on intellectual performance at16 11 5Mother’s mental
health
0.03 (.01) 0.03 (.01) 0.04 (.01)Father’s mental health −0.00 (.01) −0.01 (.01) 0.00 (.01)
Mother’s involvement
(to age 6)
0.02 (.01) 0.02 (.01) 0.07 (.01)Mother’s aggression
(to age 6)
−0.01 (.01) −0.03 (.01) 0.00 (.01)