BACKGROUND: Roma living in marginalized communities often face poor living conditions and material deprivation, which may negatively impact parenting. Our aim is to compare the parenting behavior (support, harsh discipline, and stimulation) of mothers from marginalized Roma communities and the majority population in Slovakia. We also examine the role of socioeconomic disadvantage and related worries in the differences in parenting behavior between these groups. METHODS: We obtained cross-sectional data from mothers of children aged 14-18 months using the first wave of the longitudinal RomaREACH study dataset. Two groups were included in the sample: 93 mothers from MRCs and 102 mothers from the majority. We performed multiple regression and mediation analyses to assess whether the educational level of mothers, the degree of poverty, and poverty-related feelings of stress and worries explain parenting behavior differences between the groups of mothers. RESULTS: We found significant differences in parenting, especially in harsh disciplining and stimulation. These two domains were significantly associated with maternal education, degree of poverty, and poverty-related stress and worries. The degree of poverty partially mediated stimulation differences between the two groups of mothers. CONCLUSION: Parenting in MRCs seems harsher and less stimulative than parenting in the Slovak majority. These differences are associated with the socioeconomic disadvantage of mothers. The degree of poverty partially explains why parenting in MRCs is less stimulative. These results may inform intervention efforts aimed at disadvantaged families.

Department of Community and Occupational Medicine University Medical Center Groningen University of Groningen Groningen Netherlands

Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology Faculty of Medicine Pavol Jozef Šafárik University Kosice Slovakia

Department of Public Health and Primary Care Environment and Health Youth Health Care University of Leuven KU Leuven Leuven Belgium

Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health Faculty of Medicine Pavol Jozef Šafárik University Kosice Slovakia

Institute of Applied Psychology Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences Comenius University Bratislava Slovakia

Olomouc University Social Health Institute Palacky University Olomouc Olomouc Czechia

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Understanding the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Early Childhood Development in Marginalised Roma Communities: The Role of Parental Education and Household Equipment