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 Adaptive Coping in African American Adolescents: The Role of Mother-Adolescent Relationship Quality, Parental Monitoring, and Racial Socialization(2018) Greene, Diamond; Smith-Bynum, Mia A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Adolescence can be a stressful stage of development for adolescents and their families; however, it is particularly stressful for African American adolescents who also have to deal with additional stressors such as racial discrimination, which can be detrimental to one’s mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine how: (a) adolescents’ perception of mother-adolescent relationship quality, (b) adolescents’ perception of parental monitoring from their parents, and (c) adolescents’ perception of racial socialization (e.g., cultural coping with antagonism) messages, predicts adaptive coping strategies. The sample included 111 African American adolescents (55% female), ranging from ages 14 to 17 (mean age = 15.50), residing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area between 2010 and 2011. The median household income for this sample is $60,000-69,999. Results showed that adolescents’ perception of positive mother-adolescent relationship quality and receiving racial socialization messages, specifically cultural coping with antagonism messages, were significant predictors of adaptive coping.Item 'Being on Top of It:' A Qualitative Examination of the Processes and Contexts Shaping Pediatric Caregiving among Low-Income, Young, African-American Fathers.(2015) Waters, Damian M.; Roy, Kevin M; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Several studies have noted the positive relationship between father involvement and children's health outcomes (Stewart & Menning, 2009; Bronke-Tinkew, Horowitz, Scott, 2009; Yogman, Kidlon, & Earls, 1995; Lamb, 1997; Dubowitz, Black, & Cox, 2001; Chenning 2008). Recent years have also seen a growing interest in the impact of adolescent fathers' characteristics and involvement on children's outcomes (Black, Dubowitz, & Starr, 1999; Fletcher & Wolfe, 2011). Few studies of public health or pediatric outcomes, however, have examined how fathers provide and shape healthcare for their children. Through semi-structured interviews (n = 29), this study explored how low-income, minority young men care for their children's health. Participants were recruited from two programs that provide integrative medical care, mental health services, and case management support for adolescent and young adult parents in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and entered into Atlas.ti (Friese, 2014). Informed by grounded theory, data were analyzed over three phases of coding. This study explored how the contexts in which young men fathered facilitated and complicated fathers' involvement in pediatric caregiving. These contexts included young men's relationships with the mothers of their children, family and kin-relationships, socioeconomic circumstances, community contexts, as well as proximity and distance from their children. This study found that young men developed their approaches to pediatric caregiving from their general health knowledge, prior caregiving experiences, personal health histories as well as their intimate familiarity with their children. Taken together, the findings suggested a tripartite framework for describing fathers' involvement in pediatric caregiving. This framework also highlights common processes--constructing self as caregiver and a father, navigating coparent relationships, and engaging in medical visits--that young men used to engage in preventative, acute, and chronic caregiving. These common processes helped men negotiate contexts that often challenged their involvement in pediatric caregiving.Item "I've Got to Help as Best I Can:" The Experiences of Predominately Low-Income African American Parents and Caregivers Involved with the Mental Health Care System and Their Responses to Adolescents' Depressive Disorder Diagnoses(2015) Messina, Lauren A.; Anderson, Elaine A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Many mental health disorders are often diagnosed in adolescence, suggesting the well-being of adolescent mental health should be a public health priority. The prevalence of adolescent mental health issues has led researchers to investigate treatment utilization and effectiveness. Findings suggest there is a vast underutilization of care for adolescents and an even greater deficit in family involvement in adolescent mental health care. Yet, existing research neither offers a sound understanding of how parents interpret and understand their child's mental health diagnosis, nor how the parent-child relationship and parental involvement in treatment is experienced. A qualitative approach examined parents' and caregivers' perceptions of their adolescents' mental health disorder and how parents made decisions about their involvement in their adolescent's treatment in a sample of families already engaged with the mental health care system. Semi-structured interviews with 33 predominately low-income African American parents and caregivers who had parented a teenager diagnosed and/or treated for a depressive disorder when the family was the recipient of Medicaid were conducted. The Ecological Risk and Resilience Framework facilitated an understanding of the dynamics shaping parental involvement in adolescent mental health care. Grounded theory was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest parents' involvement in the diagnosis process may be initiated after a build-up of problematic events, often identified from sources outside the family. Parental responses to the teens' diagnoses included feeling relief but also confusion, while advocating for the needs of their teenager. The parent-child relationship post-diagnosis reflected four actions: parents being protective, showing patience and empathy, increasing communication with their teen, and teaching the teen accountability. Parents reported they had agency in making decisions about the teen's treatment. They wanted active involvement and saw their involvement as having mutual benefits for both themselves and their teen. Three encouraging components enhanced parental involvement: positive mental health care provider and parent interactions, the parents' own mental health and exposure to mental health care, and spirituality. The availability of insurance also positively supported more involvement. Care barriers included family or teen resistance and lack of resources. Race/ethnicity shaped the expectations parents had of the mental health care system but did not shape parental involvement in treatment. Strategies for forging greater parental connections with mental health treatment and the role mental health care professionals play in this partnership are discussed.Item Predictors of Positive Parenting and Use of Spanking Among Low Income, Predominantly Single, African American Mothers of Toddlers(2012) Bruton, Robin Denise; Wallen, Jacqueline; Koblinsky, Sally A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A large body of research emphasizes the key role of maternal parenting in fostering positive outcomes for children, particularly during children's early years. Given this literature, it is important to identify factors that predict positive parenting, especially in the most vulnerable populations of families with young children. Therefore, this study used secondary data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCW) to examine predictors of positive parenting and use of spanking in a sample of 1,161 low income, predominantly single, African American mothers of toddlers (mean age of 13 months). Study mothers had limited education, with 82% having a high school degree or less. An ecological risk and resilience framework was used to investigate the potential risk and protective role of four microsystem variables, including maternal education, maternal health, parenting stress, and number of children; one child characteristic, the presence or absence of a toddler with asthma; and one mesosystem factor, paternal support, in predicting the two parenting outcomes. Findings revealed that mothers engaged in many positive parenting practices and approximately one quarter (26.4%) had spanked their toddler within the previous month. Results of linear regression analysis indicated that better maternal health, lower parenting stress, more paternal support, and having a child with asthma were predictive of mothers' engagement in more positive parenting practices. Logistic regression analysis revealed that more parenting stress, lower paternal support, better maternal health, only one child in the home, and having a child without asthma predicted greater maternal use of spanking. Maternal education was not found to be a predictor of either parenting behavior. Results revealed that study mothers engaged in more nurturing and caregiving activities than learning activities with their toddlers. Overall, findings suggest that family practitioners and health care professionals should introduce culturally sensitive interventions to reduce parenting stress, increase paternal support, and improve maternal health among this population of low income mothers. Programs should continue to support mothers with asthmatic children, educate all mothers about alternatives to spanking, and encourage maternal engagement in activities that foster toddlers' cognitive development. Additional implications of the study for policymakers and program developers are discussed.Item SOCIO-CULTURAL DETERMINANTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE FEMALE ADOLESCENTS(2009) Scott, Wakina L.; Koblinsky, Sally A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Low physical activity is a problem for girls, and particularly African American female adolescents. Low physical activity has been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, premature mortality, and overweight and obesity. Families and communities play an important role in influencing adolescent health; however, few studies have examined how these factors influence adolescent physical activity outcomes. Adopting an ecological theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family factors (maternal control, maternal support, mother-child communication, and family cohesion), a community factor (religiosity, defined as attendance at religious services and religious youth activities) and physical activity among African American and White female adolescents. Wave I data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was analyzed. The sample includes 736 African American and 1,692 White female adolescents in grades seven through 12. Descriptive statistics were computed for all family and community measures. Logit models were used to evaluate family and community influences on female adolescents achieving five or more bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week (MVPA); and whether the relationship between maternal control, maternal support, mother-child communication, family cohesion, religiosity, and MVPA was moderated by race. Maternal control was a significant predictor of MVPA for the total sample and the White female sample, with increased levels of maternal control associated with increased adolescent physical activity. Mother-child communication and religiosity were significantly positively associated with MVPA for African American females only. Maternal support and family cohesion were not found to be significant predictors of adolescent girls' physical activity in any of the models. Race significantly influenced the strength of the relationship between mother-child communication and adolescent MVPA, and between religiosity and adolescent MVPA, with findings revealing a stronger relationship for African American female adolescents than for White female adolescents. Strategies to engage female adolescents in physical activity, particularly African American female adolescents, should focus on increasing mother-child communication and girls' involvement with religious institutions.Item Relation of Maternal Support and Maternal Stress to Children's Behavior Problems in African American Families(2006-09-07) Matthew, Resa Francisca; Randolph, Suzanne M.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Chronic parenting stress adversely influences parents and children. Mothers reporting high stress levels are more likely than those with lower stress levels to lack warmth and responsiveness in parent-child interactions; use permissive, harsh and inconsistent discipline; hold unrealistic behavioral expectations of children; and describe children as difficult. Similarly, chronic parenting stress has been linked with negative child outcomes (e.g., insecure attachment, sleep/feeding difficulties, and behavior problems). Few studies include school-aged children and African American families; or examine social support as a potential protective factor that may buffer the impact of parenting stress on child behavior problems. African American families disproportionately face stressors such as poverty and unemployment; yet some parents may function adequately with the support of extended family/kin. This study adopted an ecological/risk-resiliency theoretical framework to investigate the influence of maternal stress and social support on the behavior problems of school-aged, African American children. Data were from a three-year study funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Participants were 193 Black/African American females 18 years or older who were primary caregivers of a child age 6 to12; most were low-income. Mothers were administered measures of parenting stress, social support, and child behavior problems. Hierarchical linear regression analyses with interaction effects were used to test hypothesized models examining main effects and social support as a moderator of maternal stress. With the entire sample, maternal-child dysfunctional interaction was significantly associated with children's total, internalizing, and externalizing behavior problems. Moreover, for female caregivers other than grandmothers, the relationship between maternal-child dysfunctional interaction and children's internalizing behavior problems was attenuated at high levels of formal social support. For grandmothers, informal social support was detrimental to the relationship between maternal-child dysfunctional interaction and children's internalizing behavior problems. Findings suggested differential intervention strategies are needed. Mothers may need increased formal support to address internalizing behavior problems of children whereas grandmothers may require interventions that focus on strengthening the quality of their sources of informal support that will reduce potential harmful effects. Implications for policy, research, and culturally-appropriate interventions are discussed.Item Fostering Resilience Among Early Adolescents Exposed to Community Violence: Challenges, Strategies, and Support Needs of Middle School Teachers in Predominantly African American Urban Communities(2006-04-27) Maring, Elisabeth Fost; Koblinsky, Sally A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Community violence places youth at risk for adverse developmental consequences such as poor school achievement, aggression, and self-destructive behaviors. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated the strategies that parents use to protect their children from negative effects of violence exposure, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the challenges faced by teachers in violent communities. Recognizing the potential for teachers to have a major influence on early adolescents' development, this study addressed a major gap in the literature by examining: 1) the challenges that teachers face in low-income neighborhoods with high community violence; 2) the strategies that teachers use to foster resilience in their students; and 3) the supports that teachers need to more effectively teach and guide youth within violent communities. This qualitative study adopted an ecological/risk and resilience framework. Teachers' voices provided important information about the challenges of teaching in violent neighborhoods and the protective factors within various ecological contexts that help teachers foster youth resilience and maintain their own teaching effectiveness. The investigator recruited 20 teachers from three middle schools with predominantly African American students located in neighborhoods with high violence levels in Maryland. A modified grounded theory approach was used for data analysis. Results revealed that community violence was the central phenomenon affecting teachers in the three schools. Three emergent concepts framed teachers' depiction of their challenges, strategies, and support needs: 1) guidance; 2) structure; and 3) self preservation. Specifically, teachers in violent communities confronted challenges providing youth with guidance and structure, while preserving their own mental health. They employed guidance-related strategies to foster youth resilience; addressed structure in their classrooms, school, and community; and engaged in behaviors to preserve their personal mental health. Finally, teachers expressed needs for support to effectively guide youth; improve school and community structure; and access mental health-related services. The study concludes by discussing implications of the findings for programs and policies, including the need to improve teacher training, school leadership, school security, peer mediation and counseling services, parent education, and community involvement in anti-violence initiatives. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.Item THE EFFECTS OF THE EFFECTIVE BLACK PARENTING PROGRAM ON THE PARENTING PRACTICES OF PARENTS OF PRESCHOOLERS(2005-04-29) Wessel, Diane E.; Randolph, Suzanne M; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Effective Black Parenting intervention on the parenting practices of African American parents with children in preschool. Although studies have previously examined the relationship between parent education programs and parenting, few studies have been conducted with at-risk African Americans. This study proposes a secondary analysis of data from the larger study entitled, "Fostering Resiliency in At-Risk African American Children." These data were used to evaluate the Effective Black Parenting (EBP) program, which was adapted and implemented with 33 parents in the urban Washington, DC area, who had a child in Head Start. In addition, 31 parents served as the comparison group in a quasi-experimental design. Analyses revealed that following the program, the intervention group demonstrated more use of positive control and less use of spanking than the comparison group. Programmatic implications and future directions for research are presented.