Family Science
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2239
Formerly known as the Department of Family Studies.
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Item FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND RELATIONSHIP FUNCTIONING(2024) Chawla, Isha; Falconier, Mariana; Kim, Jinhee; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation aimed to expand understanding of the impact of financial hardship on individual and relationship well-being within Black and Latinx populations during a time when these groups were facing disproportionately high economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This goal was achieved through a comprehensive literature review and two empirical studies. The literature review highlighted the need for further research on the impact of financial hardship on psychological distress and relationship functioning in Black and Latinx during the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature review suggested that, although the link between financial hardship and psychological distress had been studied during the COVID-19 pandemic, research on potential moderating and mediating mechanisms, such as race-based trauma and social exclusion, remains unexplored.The first empirical study aimed to expand understanding of the association between pandemic related financial hardship and psychological distress, as proposed by the Family Stress Model (FSM; Conger et al., 1994), in Latinx and Black adults by examining potential mediating and moderating factors. Using the FSM framework, this study analyzed secondary data from non-Latinx Black (n = 355) and non-Black/non-White Latinx (n = 46) adults who completed the Maryland Pandemic Survey (UME, 2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The path analysis results showed a positive and significant relationship between pandemic related financial hardship and psychological distress. The study found a significant mediating role of pandemic related difficulty in accessing mental health care in the relationship between pandemic related financial hardship and psychological distress. Specifically, pandemic related financial hardship was positively associated with pandemic related difficulty accessing mental health care, which in turn, was positively linked to psychological distress. The second empirical study aimed to test FSM comprehensively by including all mediating mechanisms through which financial hardship may be associated with relationship dissatisfaction in both partners and to evaluate potential racial-ethnic differences by comparing Latinx and non-Latinx Black couples with non-Latinx White couples. Using baseline data from a federally funded relationship education program (collected between 2020 and 2023 during the COVID-19 period), the study conducted a path analysis to test the hypothesized relationships among heterosexual couples in which both partners identified as non-Latinx Black (n =167 couples), non-Black/non-White Latinx (n =78 couples), and non-White Latinx (n = 47 couples). Consistent with the FSM, results indicated a significant indirect positive relationship between each partner’s financial hardship and their hostility towards their partner, mediated by increases in their own psychological distress. Also consistent with FSM (Conger et al., 1994), there was an indirect positive relationship between each partner's psychological distress and their partner’s relationship dissatisfaction, mediated through increases in their own hostility towards their partner. In line with FSM’s hypothesized full pathways of influence, each partner’s financial hardship was positively and indirectly related to their partner’s relationship dissatisfaction (partner effect) through increases in their own psychological distress and hostility towards the other partner. Additionally, each partner’s financial hardship was indirectly related to their own relationship dissatisfaction (actor effect) through the same pathways of influence. The results highlight that financial hardship exacerbates psychological distress and relationship functioning, particularly among Black and Latinx populations. Barriers to mental health access and increased hostility within relationships were pivotal in linking financial hardship to adverse outcomes. These findings particularly emphasize the need for inclusive, culturally attuned support systems, as well as policy and programming efforts to mitigate the dual impacts of financial hardship on vulnerable communities during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.Item Navigating a Relational Bind: Black and Latino Emergent Adult Men’s Negotiation of their Relational Needs in a Masculine Context(2024) Hedelund, Adam Jens; Roy, Kevin; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Emergent adulthood is a period of discovery and transition for humans aged 18 to 29 that often requires many practical as well as relational resources. Black and Latino emergent adult men from low socioeconomic backgrounds often navigated through this time period through alternate pathways because of a lack of resources. They may have also experienced substantial stress in childhood that prompted the reliance on hegemonic masculinity as a guide for how to cope with these stressors. This study sought to examine how Black and Latino emergent adult men negotiated their relational needs and abilities within the context of their masculine identities. Using semi-structured life history interviews, Black and Latino young men were interviewed from two youth development centers in the Washington DC/Baltimore area. Findings suggested that the impact of the provider role as adultified children, as well as exposure to violence, increased the participant’s likelihood of hegemonic masculine disconnection from family and friends in emergent adulthood. However, this disconnection was often complicated given their human desire for closeness and support as well as obligations to family members. This complexity was conceptualized as a type of relational bind. Participants used a variety of strategies to resolve this bind that often left them more isolated.Item Different perceptual worlds: Parent and youth perspectives on parenting outcome trajectories from a Latino family-based program(Wiley, 2024-01-24) Hurtado Choque, Ghaffar Ali; Kim, HaeDong; Epstein, Norman B.; Garcia-Huidobro, Diego; Svetaz, Maria Veronica; Allen, Michele L.Discrepancies between parent and youth perceptions of their relationship are a common aspect of generational acculturation gaps influencing immigrant families. Programs designed to strengthen parenting practices among immigrant Latino families commonly address immigration stresses, including differences between parent and youth perceptions, but little is known about discrepancies in their appraisals of program effects on parenting behavior. A randomized trial was conducted examining effects on parent behavior of a program for immigrant families with youth aged 10–14, developed through community-based participatory research principles. Families (346 parents and youth) were recruited by organizations serving Latino families in a Midwestern metropolitan area and randomly assigned to the eight-session psychoeducation and skill-building program or a waitlist control. Parents and youth completed self-report measures at pre-intervention, post-intervention (4 months), and a 6-month follow-up regarding parents' expression of acceptance, efforts to solicit information about the child's experiences, and consistency of discipline, key foci of the program. Based on social cognition theory, the study focused on possible differences in parents' and youths' perceptions of change in parenting behavior. Parents in the treatment group reported pre-post improved acceptance, consistent discipline, and solicitation, whereas youth reported improvement only in parental solicitation, a pattern maintained at follow-up. In the control group, the only change was youth-reported reduction in parental acceptance. Parents' perceptions of improvement are encouraging, but overall lack of improvements from the youth perspective poses a potential problem for impact on parent–child relations. Interventions may need to target both parent and youth cognitions about behavior changes directly.Item LGBTQ+ Youth Therapeutic Engagement and Experiences: Associations with LGBTQ+ Family Environment(2024) Zheng, Azure; Fish, Jessica N,; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)LGBTQ+ youth experience unique stressors that increase the risk for poor mental health. LGBTQ+ youth’s family environment, often measured as parental acceptance and rejection of youth’s LGBTQ+ status, is associated with youth mental health; less often studied is how the family environment may be linked to LGBTQ+ youth’s access to therapy and, more importantly, experiences with LGBTQ+ affirmative and competent providers. Using a contemporary non-probability national sample of LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-17, our study examined the association among LGBTQ+ youth’s reports of caregiver supportive and rejection behaviors related to their LGBTQ+ identity and youth’s engagement and experiences in therapy. Using a step-wise logistic regression method, results tell a clear story. There is a consistent positive association between parent’s LGBTQ+ support behaviors and (1) youth access to therapy and (2) their therapists' LGBTQ+ competency. In the absence of controls, we found that parents’ rejecting behaviors were also positively associated with the youth’s access to therapy, but this relationship was mediated by the youth’s depression and anxiety symptoms. For youth who did not access therapy in the last year, those who reported more parental support were inversely related, and parental rejection positively related to wanting therapy but not receiving it. Youth who reported more rejecting behaviors from parents were less likely to perceive their therapists as LGBTQ+ competent. Findings point to varied pathways and experiences in therapy engagement for LGBTQ+ youth based on parents' support of their LGBTQ+ identity.Item THE INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION AND IMPACTS OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES(2024) McConnell, Krystle; Shenassa, Edmond; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Evidence that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a wide range of adverse health and behavioral outcomes, including poor behavioral outcomes, and increased substance use, has been expanded to demonstrate that ACEs may be a determinant in adverse health and behavioral outcomes across generations as well. To disentangle the intergenerational impacts of ACEs on select health and behavioral outcomes and inform future intergenerational research and practice, three separate studies were conducted as part of this investigation. The first is a systematic review assessing whether ACEs predict earlier age of initiation differently depending on substance, conducted to inform timing of ACE screening and substance use intervention within generations. Given evidence to suggest that maternal ACEs predict related behavioral outcomes, the association between ACEs and earlier age of substance use may extend across generations as well. Informed by the first study, the second study in this investigation assesses the association between maternal ACEs and offspring age of alcohol initiation. Because offspring concordant for higher intergenerational ACE exposure may be most susceptible to the intergenerational impacts of adversity, this study also assesses whether the association between maternal ACEs and offspring age of alcohol initiation is different depending on offspring ACE exposure. The third study of this investigation assesses the association between maternal ACEs and internalizing and externalizing behavior. Importantly, the well-established intergenerational continuity of adversity was considered conceptually and methodologically for the latter two studies. If there is a direct association of maternal ACEs on offspring outcomes independent of offspring ACEs, then ACE screening and intervention efforts should be expanded to include and consider maternal ACEs in addition to offspring ACEs. Therefore, the controlled direct effect of maternal ACEs, not through offspring ACEs, was estimated. Findings from the first study suggest that while ACEs are associated with earlier age of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and opioid initiation, often in a dose-dependent manner, ACEs may predict earlier initiation of alcohol and nicotine relative to other substances assessed. Three or more ACEs were associated with initiation of alcohol across multiple studies, with effect sizes (OR) ranging from 1.9 (95% CI: 1.7, 2.1) to 6.2 (95% CI: 4.6, 8.3). Among the youngest samples included in this review (aged 9-10), ACEs were positively associated with use of alcohol at the time of interview OR=1.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.5). Studies that assessed the association between ACEs and nicotine used thresholds between 15-17 to define early initiation and reported a range of effect sizes (OR) from 1.6 (95% CI: 1.2, 2.2) after exposure to more than one ACE to 5.2 (95% CI: 2.9, 9.3) after exposure to more than two ACEs. Exposure to two or more ACEs was associated with initiating vaping before age 11 (OR=3.4 (95% CI: 2.2, 5.4). While not rising to statistical significance (p<0.05), findings from the second study suggest there is a small inverse relationship between maternal ACEs and offspring age of alcohol initiation among the full sample. However, among offspring exposed to >2 ACEs themselves, 2 maternal ACEs are associated with =-1.4 (95% CI: -2.7, -0.1) and >2 maternal ACEs are associated with =-2.1 (95% CI: -3.8, -0.5) earlier age of alcohol initiation. These findings suggest that offspring exposed to high levels of intergenerational ACE exposure are at greatest risk for early alcohol initiation. Findings from the third study suggest that maternal ACEs are associated with offspring internalizing and externalizing behavior in a dose-dependent manner, independent of offspring ACE exposure. Specifically, 1, 2, and >2 maternal ACEs were independently associated with a 1.8 (95% CI: 0.9, 2.8), 2.1 (95% CI: 0.7, 3.4), and 2.7 (95% CI: 1.0, 4.4) increase in internalizing score and a 1.8 (95% CI: 0.8, 2.7), 3.1 (95% CI: 1.7, 4.4), and 3.3 (95% CI: 1.4, 5.1) increase in externalizing score, respectively. Taken together, findings from this investigation suggest that universal ACE screening in pediatric settings, particularly prior to onset of puberty, may identify youth for service provision prior to substance initiation and that maternal ACEs should be screened for and considered in addition to offspring ACE exposure to inform interventions related to adolescent substance use and internalizing and externalizing behavior. To that end, the prenatal period may be an opportune time for maternal ACE screening. Conclusions from these investigations may apply to the impact of maternal ACEs on other relevant offspring outcomes across the life course. Future directions for research, including assessment of relevant biological and psychosocial mechanisms, and potential moderators of identified associations are discussed.Item WOMEN’S AUTONOMY AND REPRODUCTIVE AND PERINATAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN AFGHANISTAN(2024) Ibrahimi, Sahra; Thoma, Marie; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Studies show that women’s autonomy (WA)--as measured by household decision making, healthcare decision making, and permission to go out--facilitates access to resources, including education, employment, and healthcare resources. In return, these resources determine maternal and child health. Prior studies, conducted in countries other than Afghanistan, have resulted in inconsistent findings because the degree and direction of the association between WA and health outcomes differ among countries based on their laws and cultural context. There is no research examining the impact of WA on reproductive and perinatal health outcomes in Afghanistan. Conducting this research in Afghanistan is critical given the country’s unique political and socio-cultural environment that shape its population health. For instance, less than one in two of Afghan women make decisions about their healthcare, while 53% of them have experienced physical domestic violence. The 2021 ruling of the country by the Taliban has exacerbated the violation of women’s rights in Afghanistan, making the examination of the impact of WA on reproductive health outcomes even more pertinent. My dissertation addresses these gaps in the literature by examining the association between women’s autonomy and 1. experience of domestic violence types (physical, sextual, and emotional), 2. unintended pregnancy, and 3. pregnancy loss. I also assess the moderating effect of education on the association of WA and domestic violence, and the mediating effect of domestic violence on the association of WA and unintended pregnancy and pregnancy loss. I used data from 19,098 married women aged 15-49, who completed the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey- the first and only national survey administered in the country. WA was measured across 5 domains (healthcare, visiting family, household purchases, spending, and contraceptive use). Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between WA and the outcomes of interest were estimated using multiple logistic regression and adjusted for relevant confounders including age, ethnicity, education, wealth, residency, and parity. Additionally, to assess moderation and mediation, interaction terms and casual mediation models were used for each respective analysis. I found that about one in two Afghan women did not have autonomy in making decisions and experienced domestic violence, and approximately one in ten women experienced unintended pregnancy and pregnancy loss. In Aim 1, in the adjusted Model 2 (adjusting for confounders), women’s autonomy in healthcare decisions (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=0.70, CI: 0.60-0.81), spending (AOR=0.58, CI: 0.51-0.66), visiting families (AOR=0.69, CI: 0.60-0.80), household purchases (AOR=0.59, CI: 0.52-0.68), and not using contraception (AOR=0.66, CI: 0.46-0.93) were significantly associated with decreased experience of physical violence. In addition, women’s autonomy in healthcare decisions (AOR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.39-0.65), spending (AOR=0.62, CI: 0.48-0.80), and household purchases (AOR=0.56, CI: 0.43-0.72) were significantly associated with decreased experience of sexual violence. Lastly, women’s autonomy in healthcare (AOR=0.82, CI: 0.72-0.94), spending (AOR=0.61, CI: 0.53-0.71), visiting families (AOR=0.79, CI: 0.70-0.88), and not using contraception (AOR=0.58, CI: 0.42-0.80) were significantly associated with decreased experience of emotional violence. We also found a greater protective effect of WA in visiting family among women with some education (vs. no education) across each domestic violence outcome. In Aim 2, Model 2, women’s autonomy in healthcare decisions (AOR=0.87, CI: 0.77 - 0.97) and spending (AOR=0.86, CI: 0.76 - 0.97) were significantly associated with decreased experience of unintended pregnancy. However, women’s autonomy in visiting families (AOR=1.15, CI: 1.02 - 1.29) was associated with slightly increased experience of unintended pregnancy. This association was partially mediated by physical and sexual domestic violence (21% of total effect mediated by domestic violence) in that the reduction of violence with WA attenuated the effect of WA on unintended pregnancy. Lastly, in Aim 3, Model 2, women’s autonomy in healthcare decisions (AOR=0.86, CI: 0.78 - 0.95), household purchases (AOR=0.87, CI: 0.79 - 0.97), and visiting families (AOR=0.90, CI: 0.82 - 1.00), were significantly associated with decreased experience of pregnancy loss. Some of the protective effects of autonomy in healthcare (18%) and household purchase (15%) on pregnancy loss were mediated through reduced experience of domestic violence during pregnancy. Beyond filling the gap in the literature, this study provides evidence and brings awareness (about the impact of the lack of women’s autonomy on adverse health outcomes) that is needed to urge policymakers and program implementers in targeting and improving women’s autonomy and health outcomes in Afghanistan. The findings of this study can also be translated into Dari and Pashto and be shared with the general public in Afghanistan. Interventions that may improve women’s autonomy and health outcomes in Afghanistan, such as establishing laws about women’s rights, granting access to education, awareness campaigns, microfinancing, and community-based distribution programs, could foster gender equity and improve maternal and child health – moving to more sustainable development, consistent with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and 5.Item “PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD”: A MIXED-METHODS EXPLORATION OF RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY WITHIN FORMERLY INCARCERATED PEOPLES’ DESISTANCE PROCESS(2024) Dougall, Mansi; Morgan, Dr. Amy A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research on the relationship between religion and spirituality in promoting desistance among the formerly incarcerated remains mixed. Certain studies indicate a negative correlation between religiosity and criminal behavior (Johnson, 2011; Levitt & Loper, 2009), whereas others report no significant link between religion and post-release conduct (Giordano et al., 2008; Stansfield et al., 2017). To advance this body of literature, the present mixed-methods cross-sectional study examined the association between religion and spirituality on self-reported instances of almost re- offending among formerly incarcerated individuals utilizing secondary data analysis. Additionally, perceptions on how religion and/or spirituality contributed to formerly incarcerated individual’s desistance process was explored, sensitized by Family Systems Theory. The sample consisted of n = 191 formerly incarcerated individuals who were released from a carceral setting two or more years ago, and reported successfully desisting from further criminal behavior. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine the relationships between religion, spirituality, and self-reported reoffending. Thematic analysis was used to analyze participants’ qualitative responses of how religion and spirituality contributed to the desistance process. The present study contributed to the advancement of knowledge in desistance processes, with implications for criminal justice rehabilitation to guide efforts in supporting the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into societyItem Technical Assistance: An Overview of a Product from the Sexual & Gender Diversity Learning Community Program(2024) Aparicio, Elizabeth M.; Gazit-Rosenthal, Shachar; Lare, Sean; Vigorito, Michael; Thomas, Shanéa; King-Marshall, Evelyn; Fish, Jessica N.; Boekeloo, Bradley O.; UMD-PRC Community Advisory BoardReflecting on your mental health organization’s structure and integrating LGBTQ+ affirming policies and procedures can be helpful in increasing your organization’s competency in supporting LGBTQ+ people. This guide includes statements and questions to help you individually or in a group setting to reflect upon, discuss, and apply key concepts to your practice.Item Clinical Consultations: An Overview of a Product from the Sexual & Gender Diversity Learning Community Program(2024) Aparicio, Elizabeth M.; Gazit-Rosenthal, Shachar; Lare, Sean; Vigorito, Michael; Thomas, Shanéa; King-Marshall, Evelyn; Boekeloo, Bradley O.; Fish, Jessica N.; UMD-PRC Community Advisory BoardReflecting on your practice in consultation with other clinicians can improve your comfort and confidence in providing mental health care to LGBTQ+ clients. This guide includes self-reflection questions to consider on your own or bring to clinical consultation meetings.Item Sexual and Gender Diversity Learning Community (SGDLC) Workshop Study Guide(2024) Aparicio, Elizabeth M.; Gazit-Rosenthal, Shachar; Lare, Sean; Vigorito, Michael; Thomas, Shanéa; King-Marshall, Evelyn; Fish, Jessica N.; Boekleoo, Bradley O.; UMD-PRC Community Advisory BoardThis guide introduces concepts from the Sexual and Gender Diversity Learning Community (SGDLC) workshop: a 7-hour training for mental health providers and administrators on LGBTQ+ affirming mental health care. The objective of this guide is to provide ways to improve mental health providers’ and administrators’ comfort, knowledge, and skill with LGBTQ+ affirmative mental health care.