Neighborhood poverty is likely to make a mother more fearful about letting her children play outdoors, according to a new study published in the journal Family Relations.
Researchers found that a mother’s household economic status, education, employment along with physical and mental health all influence maternal fear.
"The fear of children playing outside is not completely rational," said study co-author Rachel Tolbert Kimbro. "You might think that a logical response is to keep your child inside when crime rates are higher, but our research shows that factors closer to the mother, such as how she feels about her neighbors, are more likely to influence her feelings of fear.
"Children’s outdoor play is an important indicator of overall healthy development," she added. Although neighborhood poverty strongly influences maternal fear, mothers of sound mental health living in impoverished areas are less likely to be fearful of their children playing outside.
"Our results suggest that efforts to minimize depression among mothers living in poverty could have significant, positive impacts on parenting behaviors and particularly in the promotion of children’s outdoor play," Kimbro said.
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