Exploring the Relationship Between Maternal Mental Health and Verbal Abuse Toward Children

Abstract

Verbal abuse toward children remains a significant issue, often justified by parents as a form of discipline. Maternal mental health plays a crucial role in influencing parenting behavior, including the tendency to engage in verbal abuse. This study aims to analyze the influence of maternal factors such as knowledge, employment status, parenting experience, living environment, economic conditions, education, marital status, and single parenthood on maternal mental health and its relationship to verbal abuse behavior. This quantitative analytic study used a cross-sectional design and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SPSS and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). A total of 249 mothers from five sub-districts and ten elementary schools in Surabaya were selected using multistage random sampling. Data were collected over three months using a validated questionnaire and interviews. The study found that maternal knowledge and employment status significantly influenced maternal verbal abuse behavior. Meanwhile, other maternal factors such as education, income, marital status, single parenthood, parenting experience, and living environment showed no direct influence. Although maternal mental health had no direct effect on verbal abuse behavior, good emotional regulation and coping strategies may explain this finding.