How receiving welfare assistance could be linked to children's bullying victimization: Exploring the potential pathways.

The study proposes and tests the pathways from receiving welfare assistance to children's bullying victimization. Specifically, the study examines whether children's difficulty making friends and school disconnection mediate the association between welfare assistance receipt to children's bullying victimization. The 2019 National Survey of Children's Health dataset was used, and the sample consisted of 12,230 caregivers of adolescents, aged 12-17 years. A path model was utilized to explore the proposed pathways. Findings suggest that welfare assistance receipt was not significantly associated with children's bullying victimization. It was positively related to children's bullying victimization through the mediating roles of having difficulty making friends and school disconnection. Schools and communities need to create spaces where youth can connect with peers, which is an important part of their development.

How Early do Social Determinants of Health Begin to Operate? Results From the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study.

PURPOSE: From a life course perspective, important insights about how social determinants of health operate can be gained by analyzing the various forms that social climate can take in different life periods. For children, a critical aspect of social climate is exposure to bullying. Bullying can serve as a proxy for power imbalance and social exclusion analogous to adult social climate of discrimination and racism. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used the Year 9 follow-up data of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N=3301) that, for the first time included interviews with the children. We drew on a national sample of children and their families, which allowed us to account for broader contextual variables and represented a broad range of geographic areas and schools. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of exposure to bullying on self-rated health among primarily 9- to 10-year-old children while controlling for socio-demographic and diagnosed health-conditions. RESULTS: Both frequency and forms of bullying were positively associated with lower odds of reporting excellent, very good or good health. The effect of forms of bullying on children's self-rated health fell on a gradient. Subgroup analysis indicated a significant effect on self-rated health for children who experienced peer rejection but not for those who experienced physical aggression. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study provide new evidence that the harmful health consequences of power imbalance and discriminatory practices may extend to children in early development. It also accentuates the need to study social determinants of health from both an ecological/contextual and a developmental angle. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Echoing a plethora of nursing literature on the critical role of psycho-social pediatric care, this study further encourages pediatric nurses to expand their assessment and intervention priorities beyond a familial and developmental perspective, and to consider the evident physical health consequence of a child's overall social climate determinants.

Economic insecurity and access to the social safety net among Latino farmworker families.

Farmworkers experience pervasive economic insecurity in part because of the seasonal nature of agricultural work and limited employment protections. Yet little is known about the adequacy of the social safety net in responding to farmworker needs. Using data from the 2005-2009 National Agricultural Workers Survey (N = 10,469), the current study analyzed predictors of social welfare participation among Latinos, who represent approximately 80 percent of all farmworkers. Nearly 95 percent are immigrants, although almost half of them have lived in the United States for more than 10 years. Descriptive analyses showed that, even among farmworker households whose income fell below the poverty line or that were headed by legally documented individuals, social services use was very low. Logistic regression analyses revealed that degree of social integration influenced social welfare participation, controlling for education, poverty status, family composition, and employment characteristics. Latino farmworkers who were recent immigrants (that is, in the United States for less than five years) had significantly lower odds of access to social insurance and public assistance programs relative to their U.S.-born counterparts. Low self-reported English ability significantly decreased access to most social insurance programs but not public assistance receipt. The findings indicate the need for social workers to engage in outreach efforts and policy advocacy to improve farmworkers access to social welfare.

Psychosocial factors associated with patterns of smoking surrounding pregnancy in fragile families.

Although research has documented factors associated with maternal smoking, we need a more in-depth understanding of the risk factors associated with changes in smoking behaviors during the postpartum period. We investigate smoking patterns during pregnancy and 1 year postpartum as a function of relevant psychosocial factors. We use data on 3,522 postpartum mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to analyze the predictors of smoking among mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy but smoked at 1 year postpartum, mothers who smoked both during pregnancy and postpartum, and mothers who did not smoke during either period. Our covariates are grouped into four categories of risk factors for smoking: socioeconomic status, health care, life course and health, and partner and social support. Postpartum mothers in our sample were more likely to smoke throughout or after their pregnancies if they had only a high school education or less, had a household income three or more times below the poverty line, had public or no health insurance, breastfed for less than 5 months, were not married to the infant's father, if the infant's father currently smoked, and if they attended religious services less than once a week. Mental health problems were consistently associated with an increased risk of constant and postpartum smoking relative to non-smoking. Psychosocial factors play a role in postpartum smoking, but they have a stronger effect in predicting smoking that persists throughout pregnancy and the first year postpartum.

Addressing policy barriers to paternal involvement during pregnancy.

Efforts to reduce infant mortality in the United States have failed to incorporate paternal involvement. Research suggests that paternal involvement, which has been recognized as contributing to child development and health for many decades, is likely to affect infant mortality through the mother's well-being, primarily her access to resources and support. In spite of that, systemic barriers facing the father and the influence on his involvement in the pregnancy have received little attention. The Commission on Paternal Involvement in Pregnancy Outcomes (CPIPO) has identified the most important social barriers to paternal involvement during pregnancy and outlined a set of key policy priorities aimed at fostering paternal involvement. This article summarizes the key recommendations, including equitable paternity leave, elimination of marriage as a tax and public assistance penalty, integration of fatherhood initiatives in MCH programs, support of low-income fathers through employment training, father inclusion in family planning services, and expansion of birth data collection to include father information.

Parental acceptance and illegal drug use among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents: results from a national survey.

Although gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) adolescents face many of the same developmental challenges as do heterosexual adolescents, they must also deal with the stress of being part of a stigmatized group. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which family support and involvement with the queer community may buffer the effects of life stress on substance use among GLB youths. Drawing on a large national online survey, the authors examined drug use in 1906 GLB youths 12 to 17 years of age. Overall, 20 percent of the youths reported using illegal substances in the past 30 days. Results from multivariate analyses revealed that stress, as measured by suicidal ideation, significantly increased the risk of drug use. A positive reaction from the mother to the youth's coming out served as a significant protective factor, whereas involvement in a queer youth group had no effect. The authors found evidence that, for GLB adolescents, parental acceptance of sexual identity is an important aspect of a strong family relationship and, thus, has important ramifications for their healthy development. Implications of the findings for social work practice are discussed.

Racial and ethnic variation in the predictors of maternal parenting stress.

Little is known about the causes of maternal parenting stress in the Mexican American population. We examine determinants of parenting stress among Mexican American mothers in comparison to non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black mothers. We base our analysis on Belsky's conceptual model (1984), which specifies predictors of parenting stress in three domains: maternal characteristics, child characteristics, and social context. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national survey of new mothers conducted in large cities beginning in 1998, we draw a sample of 2,898 mothers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Our findings suggest differences in the determinants of parenting stress by racial or ethnic group. Overall, the patterns of parenting stress for non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black mothers are fairly consistent with Belsky's parenting model. However, for Mexican American mothers social support, but not partner support, ameliorate parenting stress and depression is not associated with parenting stress. Importantly as well, despite significant social disadvantage, the levels of parenting stress in Mexican American mothers does not significantly differ from those of non-Hispanic whites. Specific recommendations are made to practitioners for culturally competent responses to parenting stress in the provision of social services to Mexican American families. Implications for future research are twofold: our study calls for the incorporation of diverse samples when examining the determinants of parenting stress and for the development of theoretical frameworks that reflect the unique aspects of psychosocial well-being among Mexican Americans.

Beyond the Epidemiological Paradox: The Health of Mexican American Children at Age 5.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates how prenatal demographic, social, and behavioral characteristics of Mexican origin immigrant mothers, which are linked to their relatively healthy birth outcomes, influence the subsequent health of their children in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups. METHODS: We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study of a cohort of 2,819 children born between 1998 and 2000 to analyze chronic health conditions at age 5 using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed no significant differences in chronic health conditions at age 5 between children of Mexican immigrant mothers and non-Hispanic white children, controlling for socioeconomic status and access to health care. In contrast, children of U.S.-born Mexican American mothers had significantly higher odds of chronic conditions compared to non-Hispanic white children. Social support and health care use are related to child health outcomes but do not explain racial and ethnic differences. CONCLUSIONS: Health policy must respond in order to help maintain the healthy outcomes of Mexican American children of immigrants and reverse the deteriorating health of children in subsequent generations, in light of considerable socioeconomic disadvantage and inadequate access to health care.

What happens when family resources are across international boundaries? An exploratory study on kinship placement in Mexican immigrant families.

Children in Latino immigrant families are significantly less likely to be placed in kinship care than other children are. Using grounded theory, the researchers conducted focus groups and individual interviews with child welfare workers working with Mexican origin families in south Texas to study the extent to which they use international kin placement resources. Key barriers to international kinship placement include lack of accurate information concerning international placements and conflicting agency mandates. Lack of child protective services policy enforcement also plays a role. Recommendations for practice and agency policy are discussed.

Racial and ethnic disparities in low birthweight among urban unmarried mothers.

OBJECTIVES: We examined racial and ethnic disparities in low birthweight (LBW) among unmarried mothers and the extent to which demographic, economic, psychosocial, health, health care, and behavioral factors explain those disparities. METHODS: Using a sample of 2,412 non-marital births from a national urban birth cohort study, we estimated multiple logistic regression models to examine disparities in LBW between non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic black (NHB), U.S.-born Mexican-origin (USMO), and foreign-born Mexican-origin (FBMO) mothers. RESULTS: NHW mothers were almost as likely as NHB mothers to have LBW infants. USMO mothers had 60% lower odds and FBMO mothers had 57% lower odds than NHW mothers of having LBW infants. FBMO mothers had no advantage compared to USMO mothers. Controlling for prenatal health and behaviors substantially reduced the LBW advantages for USMO and FBMO mothers. The odds of LBW for NHB mothers relative to NHW mothers increased with the addition of the same covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Racial and ethnic disparities in LBW among unmarried mothers--an economically disadvantaged population--do not mirror those in the general population. Prenatal health and behaviors are strongly associated with LBW in this group and explain a sizable portion of the Mexican-origin advantage. The lack of a significant black-white disparity in this group suggests that poverty plays an important role in shaping racial disparities in the general population. The finding that controlling for prenatal health and behaviors widens rather than narrows the racial disparity suggests that efforts to ameliorate black-white disparities in LBW should focus on social and health risks throughout the life course.

Cultural responses to health among Mexican American women and their families.

Based on an in-depth analysis of current empirical research, this article presents a framework for understanding the cultural experience of the Mexican American population and presents implications for innovative health promotion practices with women and their families. The framework sheds light on the complex ways in which individuals from this population integrate their cultural values in their everyday responses to health. Three patterns emerge: (a) cultural expectations and beliefs can be shared by and work complementarily in the family and the larger social context; (b) cultural beliefs can be a source of tension and stress as a result of pressures in the environment; and (c) cultural values can become less important than other concerns, such as problems related to access when dealing with the healthcare system.

Low birth weight, social factors, and developmental outcomes among children in the United States.

We used six waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child Data (1986-1996) to assess the relative impact of adverse birth outcomes vis-à-vis social risk factors on children's developmental outcomes. Using the Peabody Individual Achievement Tests of Mathematics and Reading Recognition as our outcome variables, we also evaluated the dynamic nature of biological and social risk factors from ages 6 to 14. We found the following: (1) birth weight is significantly related to developmental outcomes, net of important social and economic controls; (2) the effect associated with adverse birth outcomes is significantly more pronounced at very low birth weights (< 1,500 grams) than at moderately low birth weights (1,500-2,499 grams); (3) whereas the relative effect of very low-birth-weight status is large, the effect of moderately low weight status, when compared with race/ethnicity and mother's education, is small; and (4) the observed differentials between moderately low-birth-weight and normal-birth-weight children are substantially smaller among older children in comparison with younger children.