Maternal Mental Wellbeing shapes Children’s Early Cognitive Development, GUSTO Study finds
Published: 17 Mar 2026
Photo credit: Freepik
A Singapore study has found that maternal mental wellbeing plays an important role in shaping children’s early cognitive development, with positive maternal wellbeing linked to stronger learning outcomes in preschool-aged children. The research analysed data from 328 mother–child pairs from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort. The study was conducted by researchers from the A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP), in collaboration with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
Researchers found two distinct pathways linking maternal mental health to children’s outcomes at around four years of age. Poor maternal mental health, including symptoms of anxiety or depression, was associated with harsher or overly lenient parenting styles and greater behavioural difficulties in children. In contrast, mothers who reported higher levels of positive wellbeing were more likely to adopt warm, structured parenting approaches characterised by clear expectations and supportive guidance. Children raised in such environments showed stronger cognitive abilities, including better IQ, vocabulary, numeracy, and executive function.
The findings also highlight an important distinction between the absence of psychological distress and the presence of positive wellbeing. Standard mental health screening often focuses on identifying symptoms of depression or anxiety. However, the study supports a dual-factor model of mental health, where negative mental health (distress) and positive mental health (wellbeing) function as largely independent dimensions. This means that mothers who are not experiencing depression or anxiety may still not be experiencing positive wellbeing.
Children were assessed between ages four and four-and-a-half using standardised tests measuring cognitive development prior to formal schooling. The researchers observed that maternal mental health influenced children through different parenting styles. Higher levels of depression or anxiety were linked to more punitive or inconsistent parenting approaches, which were associated with behavioural difficulties in children. By contrast, mothers with higher positive wellbeing tended to practise “authoritative” parenting, which is a style characterised by warmth combined with clear boundaries and explanations, and is linked to stronger cognitive development.
The study highlights “authoritative” parenting as the key link between maternal wellbeing and child cognitive development. Researchers distinguish between three primary styles:
- Authoritative: High warmth paired with clear standards. These parents set boundaries but explain the reasoning behind rules, fostering understanding.
- Authoritarian: Low warmth, high control. These parents demand obedience and use punishment without explanation.
- Permissive: High warmth, low standards. These parents are lenient and often avoid enforcing boundaries.
Of these three styles, authoritative parenting has long been linked to better cognitive outcomes in children, and is supported by multiple studies over several decades. What this study adds is evidence that a mother’s positive emotional state may be what enables her to maintain this engaged, patience-demanding style.
“Our findings suggest that public health policies could go beyond treating mental disorders to actively support mothers’ positive wellbeing. Helping mothers feel calm and confident may benefit both parenting and children’s cognitive development during the preschool years,” said Dr Michelle Kee, first author of the study and Principal Scientist at the A*STAR IHDP.
Overall, the findings suggest that supporting mothers to flourish emotionally — rather than focusing solely on reducing psychological distress — may be an important lever for strengthening children’s early cognitive development.
View the press release here.
