Maternal perceived safety and parenting practices with young children: a cross-sectional analysis from 15 low-income and middle-income countries

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Introduction: Social environments can influence parents' caregiving capacities and the quality of nurturing care provided to children. These links, in turn, can shape children's developmental outcomes over the life course. We aimed to examine the relationship between maternal perceived safety at home and in the neighbourhood and maternal parenting practices in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Method: We combined cross-sectional data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys in 15 LMICs (2018-2019). Mothers of children aged 36-59 months were included in the sample. We assessed maternal perceived safety at home and in the neighbourhood and two parenting outcomes of maternal stimulation and discipline. We used multiple logistic regression models to estimate the associations while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and maternal well-being in the pooled sample. Also, analyses were performed for each country separately. Results: After adjusting for covariates, maternal perceived safety at home was associated with increased odds of high maternal stimulation (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01; 1.32) and lower odds of aggressive psychological discipline (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77; 0.98). Maternal perception of safety in the neighbourhood was associated with lower odds of aggressive psychological discipline (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.71; 0.88), aggressive physical discipline (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77; 0.98) and non-violent discipline (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63; 0.95). Conclusion: Maternal perceived safety at home and in the neighbourhood was positively associated with improved parenting behaviours with young children in LMICs. Interventions that address safety and security at home and across communities may have the potential to enhance maternal well-being and parenting practices to promote integral child development.