Parenting Stress and Child Welfare Outcomes in Low-Income Communities of Kano State: A Social Work Perspective

Parenting stress is a significant mediating variable linking household poverty to adverse child welfare outcomes, and understanding this relationship is essential for designing effective social work preventive interventions. This study analytically examines the relationship between parenting stress and child welfare outcomes in low-income communities of Kano State, North West Nigeria, drawing on data from Dala and Nassarawa local government areas. A cross-sectional explanatory design employs a survey of 230 parents in low-income households using the Parenting Stress Index and a structured child welfare assessment instrument. Multiple regression and path analysis are applied. The study finds that economic pressure, inadequate housing, and absence of co-parenting support are the primary drivers of elevated parenting stress, which is in turn significantly associated with child nutritional deficiency, school attendance problems, and behavioural difficulties. Social work preventive programmes such as parenting skills training and family support groups show protective effects on parenting stress when controlling for income. The study draws on ecological resilience and family systems theory to construct a stress-buffering model for social work intervention. Recommendations include deploying social workers as parenting support specialists in primary health care settings, establishing state-funded parenting skills programmes in high-poverty communities, and developing Arabic-language parenting support materials for use in northern Nigerian contexts. Keywords: parenting stress, child welfare, low-income communities, Kano State, preventive social work