Abstract
Parental depression and substance use play critical roles in shaping young children’s behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the relationships between parental depression, substance use, externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors in five-year-old preschoolers using partial polychoric network correlation analysis. Data were drawn from 333 families participating in the national longitudinal Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). Results reveal significant associations between parental depression and substance use, highlighting the interrelated nature of mental health and substance use within families. Maternal depression strongly correlates with both internalizing and externalizing behaviors in children, while maternal drug use is significantly associated with internalizing behaviors. In contrast, paternal depression and substance use did not show significant associations with children’s behavioral problems. Furthermore, results show strong relationships between parental depression and substance use, as problems in one parent negatively impact their partner within the family. These counterintuitive findings highlight methodological challenges in family mental health research, including potential reporter bias and sample selection effects, while demonstrating the utility of network analysis for visualizing complex family dynamics.