Neighborhood Disorder and Child Psychological Well-being: A Moderated-Mediation Model of Maternal Psychosocial Factors and Child Gender Differences

Abstract

This study investigates the mechanisms through which neighborhood disorder exert adverse influence on child psychological well-being through chain effects of maternal emotional distress and hostile parenting. Cross-sectional data from mother–child dyads within urban communities surrounding transport-parks in one of Nigeria’s largest cities was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results revealed a significant indirect effect of neighborhood disorder on child emotional distress via maternal emotional distress (β = 0.045, p < 0.05). A serial mediation model further revealed that neighborhood disorder elevated maternal emotional distress, which in turn intensified hostile parenting and exacerbates poor child psychological well-being (β = 0.024, p < 0.05). Maternal age moderated the direct paths, buffering the impact of neighborhood disorder and hostile parenting on child outcomes. Gender-specific patterns also emerged in this study. These findings highlight the imperative for interventions targeting maternal mental health and parenting practices to alleviate adverse psychological well-being of children in neighborhood surrounding transportation parks in Nigeria.