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 Parenting stress and associated pathways to health outcomes in Latino parents: An investigation of longitudinal latent change(2019) Kim, HaeDong; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Prior parenting stress studies have been limited due to a primary focus on how parenting stress is associated with the well-being of children, use of samples consisting of predominately White parents, and reliance on cross-sectional data. Using longitudinal data collected from a randomized control trial of a parenting intervention for Latino parents with early adolescents, the present study investigated how changes in relational variables (parent-child conflict and parenting stress) were associated with changes in the parents’ psychological well-being across four months and ten months. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted on the study measures, and measurement invariance was subsequently tested for all of the study variables across the two time periods. Latent change models were imposed for the time periods of four months and ten months while controlling for treatment group membership (intervention vs. control), income, parent’s enculturation, and number of children in the family. The results from latent change analysis showed that across a period of four months, change in parent-child conflict was positively associated with changes in parenting stress and parent’s psychological distress, whereas across ten months, change in parent-child conflict was only associated with change in psychological distress. Examination of the control variable regarding group membership (intervention vs. control) showed that being assigned to the parenting intervention had protective indirect effects on change in parenting stress through its association with change in parent-child conflict across four months, and on change in psychological distress through change in parent-child conflict across ten months. The present findings showed that changes in parent-child relationships are related to changes in parenting stress and psychological distress of Latino parents with early adolescents. It seems that change in parent-child conflict may affect change in parenting stress in the shorter term but affect the parent’s individual psychological well-being in the longer term, and that community-based parenting interventions have the potential to protect and increase the well-being of Latino parents of early adolescents.Item The Influence of Pre-Migration Factors and Post-Migration Climate of the Receiving Community on the Psychological Distress of Latino Immigrants(2016) Kahn, Sherylls Valladares; Leslie, Leigh A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over forty million foreign-born residents currently live in the United States. Latinos make up the largest population of immigrants living in the U.S. Previous research suggests that Latino immigrants often experience pre-migration stressors, such as traumatic experiences, political upheaval, and unplanned migration. These stressors may have a negative impact on immigrants’ post-migration mental health. Research also suggests that the post-migration climate of the receiving community may inform the connection between pre-migration experiences and post-migration mental health. The current study examined the relationship between Latino immigrants’ reasons for migration, migration planning, and pre-migration experience of political and/or interpersonal violence, and post-migration symptoms of psychological distress. In addition to examining the effect of these pre-migration factors, the current study also examined the community “climate” experienced by Latino immigrants post-migration by assessing the influence of three post-migration factors: 1) community support and engagement, 2) discrimination, and 3) employment. The study was a secondary analysis of data collected for the National Latino and Asian American Study, which focused on the mental health and service utilization of Latinos and Asian Americans. Participants included 1,629 Latino immigrants from across the United States. Results indicated that pre-migration experience of political and/or interpersonal trauma, post-migration experience of discrimination, and female sex were positively associated with psychological distress. Post-migration employment was negatively associated with psychological distress. In addition, discrimination modified the association between unplanned migration and psychological distress; the relationship between unplanned migration and psychological distress decreased for participants who reported more discrimination. Furthermore, employment modified the association between political and/or interpersonal trauma and psychological distress; the connection between trauma and psychological distress increased among those who reported having less employment. Recommendations for further research were presented. Policy and clinical practice implications were discussed, particularly given the current climate of high anti-immigrant sentiment and hostility in the U.S.Item Meaning Making for Immigrant Latino Fathers in Dynamic Family Contexts(2014) Ospina, Estefania; Roy, Kevin; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Existing research on fathers has historically focused on fatherhood involvement with children as a cornerstone of paternity. These studies have primarily used White-male fathers as the exemplary demographic (Campos, 2008). However, less has been said about immigrant Latino father's parenting and even less about their process of fatherhood meaning making. The present study used a qualitative approach to better understand immigrant Latino men's accounts of their fathering in dynamic contexts. The data used consisted of transcribed life history interviews conducted with 19 immigrant Latino fathers who were recruited from a HEAD START program and lived in neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois. In using this method, insights of their experiences and perspectives on fathering were discerned into three chapters. The findings suggest that the fatherhood meaning making for this sample was fluid and influenced by relationships and context. The analysis provides four major contributions to Latino fatherhood literature: immigrant Latino fathers exemplify a different kind of machismo that is multidimensional; protection was important to fathers and embedded in context; fathers were active agents that conveyed familismo through practicing and teaching family values; and the cultural value of familismo looks into the future and enriches efforts to create a family legacy.