Parenting Stress and Child Externalizing and Internalizing Problems Among Low-Income Families: Exploring Transactional Associations.

Although the association between parenting stress and child behavioral outcomes is well established (Deater-Deckard, Clin Psychol 5:314-332, 1998), longitudinal research examining the direction of these effects is limited. This study examined transactional associations between parenting stress and child externalizing and internalizing behaviors among 1209 low-income female caregivers (Mage = 34.51) with children in early childhood or early adolescence (i.e., either 2- to 5-years-olds or 9- to 15-year-olds at Time 1) across a 6 year time span using three time points. Parent-driven associations between parenting stress and child internalizing problems for the early childhood group were found. In the early adolescent group, transactional and child-driven associations were found between parenting stress and child externalizing problems, but only child-driven associations for internalizing problems. Thus, transactional associations were only supported for the early adolescent group. These findings suggest developmental differences in how parenting stress and child behavioral problems are linked among low-income families. Clinical implications are discussed.

Coping Strategies and Psychological Symptoms Among Children on St. Thomas in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Research has shown that experiencing a hurricane can lead to internalizing, externalizing, and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in children. However, the effects of experiencing two hurricanes within a short time frame have not been examined. Moreover, there is limited research examining how children's coping is linked to their psychological functioning and no research using the empirically supported conceptualization of coping that includes primary control coping (i.e., attempts to control the stressor) and secondary control coping (i.e., attempts to adapt to the stressor). This study examined the psychological functioning of 108 children and adolescents (69.7% Black, Non-Hispanic; 56.5% female; M age = 11.59 years, SD = 2.43) in Grades 3-12 as measured 3 months after experiencing Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the island of St. Thomas. Participants completed electronic questionnaires about their demographic characteristics, hurricane exposure (i.e., perceived life-threat, life-threatening events, loss/disruption after hurricanes), coping strategies utilized, and their psychological functioning (i.e., PTS, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms). A principal component analysis of the coping items determined four coping factors: primary control, secondary control, disengagement, and negative coping. Linear regressions, including children's age and aspects of hurricane exposure, found primary control coping was positively associated with PTS symptoms, ß = .18, whereas secondary control coping was negatively associated with PTS and externalizing symptoms, ßs = -.17 and -.19, respectively. Negative coping, but not disengagement coping, was positively associated with all three outcomes, ßs = .31-.42. These findings suggest positive ways children can cope after experiencing a hurricane, informing possible early intervention efforts.

Parent-Adolescent Communication Influences on Anxious and Depressive Symptoms in Early Adolescence.

The unique developmental changes and important role of parents during early adolescence warrants consideration of parent-adolescent communication, including open communication, co-problem-solving, and co-rumination, and its influences on adolescents' anxious and depressive symptoms. In this study, 400 early adolescents (M age = 12.49; 54% female) recruited from a middle school completed electronic questionnaires at two time points, 5 months apart. While most bivariate associations examined between communication processes and adolescents' symptoms were significant, path analyses found unique patterns. Specifically, over time, paternal open communication was negatively associated with adolescent anxious and depressive symptoms while paternal co-rumination was positively associated with depressive, but not anxious, symptoms. In contrast, few maternal communication factors were significantly linked to adolescents' internalizing symptoms, with only maternal co-rumination surprisingly being negatively linked to depressive symptoms over time. The results suggest how parents communicate with their children may be important as early adolescents develop problem-solving and adaptive coping skills to successfully navigate new experiences.

Understanding the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms: a developmental examination.

Self-discrepancy theory (SDT) is one framework for understanding how goal failure is associated with depressive symptoms. The present studies sought to examine the variance in depressive symptoms explained by actual:ideal discrepancies, beyond what is accounted for by actual-self ratings. Additionally, gender and grade were examined as potential moderators in the relationship. In Study 1 (N = 228), discrepancies accounted for additional variance in the level of depressive symptoms beyond what was explained by actual-self ratings in a college sample. In Study 2 (N = 192), while similar global patterns were found, gender and grade differences emerged. For boys, the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms was due to actual-self ratings. For girls, a developmental pattern suggested that actual:ideal discrepancies become more important to the prediction of depressive symptoms among older girls. Implications for the emergence of the discrepancy-depression association are discussed.

When do self-discrepancies predict negative emotions? Exploring formal operational thought and abstract reasoning skills as moderators.

Individual differences in higher-order cognitive abilities may be an important piece to understanding how and when self-discrepancies lead to negative emotions. In the current study, three measures of reasoning abilities were considered as potential moderators of the relationship between self-discrepancies and depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants (N = 162) completed measures assessing self-discrepancies, depression and anxiety symptoms, and were administered measures examining formal operational thought, and verbal and non-verbal abstract reasoning skills. Both formal operational thought and verbal abstract reasoning were significant moderators of the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms. Discrepancies predicted depressive symptoms for individuals with higher levels of formal operational thought and verbal abstract reasoning skills, but not for those with lower levels. The discussion focuses on the need to consider advanced reasoning skills when examining self-discrepancies.

Associations between local COVID-19 case rates, pandemic-related financial stress and parent and child functioning.

The COVID-19 global crisis led to unprecedented disruption of family routines and heightened family stress. This study examines the effects of local COVID-19 case rates and pandemic-related financial stress on family processes (e.g., caregiving behavior) and school-aged children's outcomes. The project was launched shortly after stay-at-home orders began in the U.S. Data were collected online using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which allowed for nationwide recruitment. Using four waves of data (N = 308), with initial data collected between 4/20/20 and 5/6/20 and 2-3 weeks between each wave, this study examined the influence of local rates of COVID-19 infection on pandemic-related financial stress and the association of these constructs on maternal psychological distress and negative parenting. We also examined the potential cascade linking COVID-19 case rates and pandemic-related financial stress with child behavior problems via maternal psychological distress and negative parenting behavior, while controlling for prior child behavior problems. In line with hypotheses, higher Wave 1 (W1) pandemic-related financial stress was significantly associated with higher Wave 2 (W2) maternal psychological distress, which was significantly associated with higher Wave 3 (W3) negative parenting, which, in turn, was significantly associated with higher Wave 4 (W4) child behavior problems. In addition, the indirect effect of W1 pandemic-related financial stress on W3 negative parenting through W2 maternal psychological distress was significant. Higher W1 local COVID-19 case rates were significantly related to higher W3 negative parenting. Results suggest local COVID-19 case rates and pandemic-related financial stressors are associated with poorer child and family functioning. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Maternal and Paternal Predictors of Child Depressive Symptoms: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Framework.

Family members are theorized to influence each other via transactional or systems related processes; however, the literature is limited given its focus on mother-child relationships and the utilization of statistical approaches that do not model interdependence within family members. The current study evaluated associations between self-reported parental affect, parenting behavior, and child depressive symptoms among 103 mother-father-child triads. Children ranged in age from 8 to 12 years. Higher maternal negative affect was associated with greater maternal and paternal harsh/negative parenting behavior. While maternal negative affect was directly associated with child depressive symptoms, paternal negative affect was indirectly associated with child depressive symptoms via paternal harsh/negative behavior. In a separate model, maternal positive affect was indirectly associated with child depressive symptoms via maternal supportive/positive behavior. These results highlight the importance of simultaneously modeling maternal and paternal characteristics as predictors of child depressive symptoms.

Maternal Functioning, Time, and Money: The World of Work and Welfare.

Numerous studies have assessed families' employment and financial stability following welfare reform. Yet little research has addressed whether welfare and work transitions are linked with other changes in family functioning. Using a representative sample of approximately 2,000 low-income urban families from the Three-City Study, analyses assessed whether mothers' welfare and employment experiences over a two-year period following welfare reform were related to changes in family well-being. Lagged regression models controlling for family characteristics and earlier levels of functioning found that moving into employment and stable employment (of 30 hours or more per week) were linked to substantial increases in income and improvements in mothers' psychological well-being. Movements into employment also were associated with declines in financial strain and food insecurity. Sustained or initiated welfare receipt was related to relative declines in income, physical health, and psychological well-being, but also to improved access to medical care. In contrast, mothers' welfare and work experiences showed very limited relations to changes in the quality of parenting or of children's home environments. These patterns were similar for families with young children and those with adolescent children. Results suggest that parenting behaviors are more resistant to change than are maternal emotional and economic functioning.

Welfare reform and parenting: reasonable expectations.

Although the primary goals of federal welfare reform legislation were to move welfare mothers into the workforce and reduce births outside of marriage, promotion of responsible parenting was also an important underlying theme. Parenting is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon, however, encompassing a wide range of functions related to nurturing, discipline, stimulation, values, activities, and routines. This article provides a framework for assessing the impact of welfare reform on various dimensions of parenting, with the following key findings: Many aspects of life affect parenting and child development, such as parent characteristics, child characteristics, family economic resources, family structure, parental mental health, marital or partner relationships, and the quality of parents' kin and social networks. About two-thirds of states are using federal welfare funds to promote better parenting through programs such as home visits to new parents and parenting classes, but virtually no state parenting programs have been evaluated. Welfare reform appears to have limited effects on parenting. The only dimension of parenting significantly affected by some welfare demonstration programs was parents' choice of child care settings and extracurricular activities for their children. The programs with the greatest positive impact on parenting were those with more generous work supports and more flexible work requirements. Not only did these programs lead to different choices concerning child care and activities for preschool and school-age children, but they also resulted in more stable marriages and less violence between partners, which also could lead to improved parenting. The authors conclude that many important aspects of the connection between welfare reform and parenting have yet to be examined, and that further research is needed to identify the ways states' welfare programs can promote better parenting.

Mothers' transitions from welfare to work and the well-being of preschoolers and adolescents.

Results from a longitudinal study of 2402 low-income families during the recent unprecedented era of welfare reform suggest that mothers' transitions off welfare and into employment are not associated with negative outcomes for preschoolers (ages 2 to 4 years) or young adolescents (ages 10 to 14 years). Indeed, no significant associations with mothers' welfare and employment transitions were found for preschoolers, and the dominant pattern was also of few statistically significant associations for adolescents. The associations that did occur provided slight evidence that mothers' entry into the labor force was related to improvements in adolescents' mental health, whereas exits from employment were linked with teenagers' increased behavior problems.