Effects of economic hardship: Testing the family stress model over time.

Abstract

The current study evaluated connections between marital distress, harsh parenting, and child externalizing behaviors in line with predictions from the Family Stress Model (FSM). Prospective, longitudinal data came from 273 mothers, fathers, and children participating when the child was 2, between 3 to 5, and 6 to 10 years old. Assessments included observational and self-report measures. Information regarding economic hardship and economic pressure were assessed during toddlerhood, and parental emotional distress, couple conflict, and harsh parenting were collected during early childhood. Child externalizing behavior was assessed during both toddlerhood and middle childhood. Results were consistent with predictions from the FSM in that economic hardship led to economic pressure which was associated with parental emotional distress and couple conflict. This conflict was associated with harsh parenting and child problem behavior. This pathway remained statistically significant controlling for externalizing behavior in toddlerhood.

The Influence of Economic Pressure on Emerging Adult Binge Drinking: Testing the Family Stress Model over Time

“…For example, the current study replicates results utilizing the same sample but extending offspring age into emerging adulthood (Conger & Conger, 2002; Conger et al, 2010), as well as those that have studied these associations with the offspring and their next generation child. For example, Neppl, et al (2016) found that pathways of the Family Stress Model operated in a similar fashion when the offspring from the current study became parents themselves. The current investigation also extends work conducted by others.…”

“…Similarly, Ponnet (2014) investigated financial stress and found that parental depressive symptoms, parental conflict, and parenting mediated the association between financial stress and adolescent problem behavior. Many studies utilizing the Family Stress Model use cross-sectional data (Conger et al, 2010) or omit certain pathways of the model such that they may include harsh parenting but not marital conflict (see Neppl, et al, 2016). Thus, the current study extends research by including all family related pathways of the Family Stress Model, specifically examining how economic pressure in early adolescence influences family processes in middle adolescence and drinking behaviors into emerging adulthood.…”

“…Interparental hostility, antisocial behavior, and angry coerciveness from one spouse toward the other during the video-taped marital discussion task was assessed when the adolescent was 14 and 15 years old (Neppl et al, 2016). Each rating was scored on a 9-point scale, ranging from 1 (no evidence of the behavior) to 9 (the behavior is highly characteristic of the spouse).…”

“…Despite evidence that economic pressure is associated with family stress processes to predict child outcomes, most studies utilizing the Family Stress Model predict to child or adolescent outcomes (Benner & Kim, 2010; Conger et al, 1991; Neppl, Senia, & Donnellan, 2016; Scaramella, Sohr-Preston, Callahan, & Mirabile, 2008), and have not extended family processes as experienced in adolescence to behavior in emerging adulthood. In addition, although studies have applied the Family Stress Model to predict substance use in adolescence, most have used cross-sectional data which limits temporal ordering of causal influences (Conger et al, 1991).…”

Parenting and Motocross: The Whoops and Downs

“…It has also been established that family level conflict influences parenting behaviors during long-term contextual pressures (Barajas-Gonzalez & Brooks-Gunn, 2014;Neppl, Senia, & Donnellan, 2016). For instance, families who have children that suffer from chronic pain indicate higher levels of conflict, and lower levels of cohesion (Palermo, Valrie, Karlson, 2014).…”