Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods.

Full Abstract

This study investigated how stressful environmental conditions influence the relation between mothers' social support and parenting strategies, utilizing interview data from a sample of 262 poor, African American single mothers and their seventh- and eighth-grade children, as well as objective data about respondents' neighborhoods. In general, the results indicated that neighborhood conditions moderate the relation between social support and parenting behaviors. Specifically, as neighborhood conditions worsened, the positive relation between emotional support and mothers' nurturant parenting was weakened. In a similar fashion, the negative relation between instrumental social support and punishment was stronger in better neighborhoods. As the surrounding environments became poorer and more dangerous, the relation between greater instrumental support and a lower reliance on punishment was weakened. Thus, on the whole, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the positive influences of social support on parenting behavior were strained and attenuated in poorer, high-crime environments.

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Author information

Author/s: Ceballo, Rosario (R); McLoyd, Vonnie C (VC);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA. rosarioc(-atsign-)umich.edu

Grants: R01MH44662 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Child development (Child Dev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2002 Jul-Aug; vol 73 (issue 4) : pp 1310-21

Dates: Created 2002/07/30; Completed 2003/02/25; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12146749, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

African Americans - psychology
Child
Crime - psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Michigan
Mother-Child Relations
Parenting - psychology

Personality Development
Poverty - psychology
Punishment
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors
Single Parent - psychology
Social Environment
Social Support
Violence - psychology

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