The association of kinship support with psychosocial adjustment and parenting practices for 125 African-American adolescents (52 boys and 73 girls) in Grades 9-12 from single-and 2-parent households was assessed. Findings revealed that kinship support was positively associated with adolescent adjustment and with authoritative parenting practices in single-but not 2-parent households. Results also indicated that parenting practices mediated the effects of kinship support. When the effects of authoritative parenting practices were controlled, significant relations found between kinship support and adolescent adjustment were no longer apparent. The importance of kinship support for the functioning of African-American families and adolescents was discussed.In the literature on African-American families, the importance of extended families and kinship relations as culturally distinctive features of family life has been discussed extensively (

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This study tested a conceptual model developed to explain the link between kinship support and the psychological well-being of economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. The relation of kinship support with maternal and adolescent well-being and mothers' child-rearing practices was assessed in 51 African-American families whose incomes placed them at or below the poverty threshold. Findings revealed that kinship social support to mothers/female guardians was positively associated with adolescent psychological well-being, maternal well-being, and more adequate maternal parenting practices (acceptance, firm control and monitoring of behavior, autonomy granting). Maternal well-being and more adequate maternal parenting practices were positively related to adolescent well-being. Evidence of the mediational role of maternal well-being and parenting practices was revealed. When the effects of maternal well-being and maternal parenting practices were controlled, significant relations between kinship support and adolescent well-being were no longer apparent.

This study tested a conceptual model developed to explain the link between kinship support and the psychological well-being of economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. The relation of kinship support with maternal and adolescent well-being and mothers' child-rearing practices was assessed in 51 African-American families whose incomes placed them at or below the poverty threshold. Findings revealed that kinship social support to mothers/female guardians was positively associated with adolescent psychological well-being, maternal well-being, and more adequate maternal parenting practices (acceptance, firm control and monitoring of behavior, autonomy granting). Maternal well-being and more adequate maternal parenting practices were positively related to adolescent well-being. Evidence of the mediational role of maternal well-being and parenting practices was revealed. When the effects of maternal well-being and maternal parenting practices were controlled, significant relations between kinship support and adolescent well-being were no longer apparent.

The moderating effects of kinship social support on the association of mother-adolescent problematic relations and mothers' report of adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed among 204 African American mothers of adolescents who were between the ages of 14 and 18 years. Kinship support was negatively associated with both internalizing and externalizing problems. Mother-adolescent communication problems and mothers' psychological control were positively associated with internalizing problems. Mother-adolescent communication problems were positively related to externalizing problems. The interaction of kinship support and mothers' psychological control on internalizing problems was significant. Probing the interaction revealed that the relation of mothers' psychological control with internalizing problems was less apparent for mothers who had higher compared with lower kinship social support. Also, the relation of the interaction of kinship support and mother-adolescent communication problems with externalizing problems was significant. The association of mother-adolescent communication problems with externalizing problems was less apparent when mothers had higher compared with lower kinship support. The findings are discussed in terms of the need for more information on factors that moderate families' access to social support.

Relations among kinship support, family management, and adolescent adjustment were examined in 135 African American adolescents 14 to 19 years old. Kin social support was positively related to self-reliance and grades and negatively associated with problem behavior. Poor kin relations were associated with psychological distress. Kinship support was also positively linked to family organization and parental involvement in schooling, which in turn were positively associated with selfreliance and grades and negatively related to problem behavior and psychological distress.A growing body of research has shown that social support is positively associated with parenting behavior (

The association of kin social support with mothers' adjustment and family relations was assessed among 204 African American mothers and adolescents who were on average 14.45 years of age. Also examined was the association of mothers' adjustment with family relations and adolescents' adjustment. Findings revealed that kin social and emotional support was positively associated with mothers' optimism. Poor relations with kin were positively associated with mothers' depression. Kin advice and counseling and kin social and emotional support were positively linked to family routine. Poor relations with kin were positively associated with parent/adolescent communication problems. Mothers' optimism was positively associated with family routine and mediated the association of kin social and emotional support with family routine. Parent/adolescent communication problems were positively associated with adolescents' depression. The findings were discussed in light of their support for theoretical and empirical work on family processes among poor African American families. ECONOMIC RESOURCES AND ADOLESCENTS' ADJUSTMENTAmong some ethnic or racial minority groups in America, poverty and its related problems have become relatively intractable challenges affecting substantial numbers of children and adolescents. In the past 10-15 years as JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, 18(1), 1-22

The association of mothers’ report of the adequacy of family financial resources with African American mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptoms was assessed. Findings for families with male adolescents revealed that mothers’ report of the adequacy of families’ financial resources was linked to mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptomatology and mothers’ optimism. Mothers’ report of the adequacy of family financial resources was positively associated with family routine. Mothers’ optimism was also positively associated with family routine and mediated the association of family financial resources with family routine. Findings for families with female adolescents revealed that family resources were positively associated with family routine. Explanations for the differences in the findings for families with male or female adolescents were discussed. The need for more research assessing the processes that mediate the relations of families’ financial resources with African American adolescents’ and parents’ well-being was discussed.