Poverty, Social Support, and Parental Behavior

Abstract

The associations among poverty, measures of social support, and parents' reports of punitive and unsupportive behaviors were examined using the National Survey of Families and Households. Analyses revealed a significant interaction between perceived social support and household income: perceived social support was negatively associated with parents' reports of punitive behavior, but mainly when income was low. The amount of help received from others was negatively associated with parents' reports of unsupportive behavior. The study suggests that some forms of social support lower levels of problematic behavior among all parents, whereas other forms of social support are particularly beneficial to parents living in poverty.

Single Mothers, Nonresident Fathers, and Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Development: Social Support, Psychological Well-Being, and Parenting Quality

“…Similarly, greater availability of instrumental support from significant others was associated directly with more adequate parenting (at Time 1) and, through the latter, with fewer child behavior problems over time (at Time 2). This pattern of findings is consistent with the "buffering" interpretation of social support, which holds that social support is beneficial in the main to those who need assistance from others due to conditions and circumstances such as single parenting and limited access to social and financial resources (see, e.g., Cairney et al, 2003;Hashima & Amato, 1994;Jackson et al, 2010). It also is consistent with Bronfenbrenner's (1986Bronfenbrenner's ( , 1988 person-process-context model and Belsky's (1984) ecological theory of the determinants of parenting, which posit linkages among personal characteristics of family members, family processes, and particular external environments, and their influences in turn on parenting in the home environment and children's behavioral development.…”

“…As such, we believe there are important implications of this study for program and policy interventions. If valid, the direct positive relationship between availability of instrumental support from significant others (including nonresident fathers) and more adequate maternal parenting early on and the relations, in turn, between each of these (directly for parenting and indirectly for instrumental support) and fewer child behavior problems subsequently suggest that interventions that focus on sharpening single mothers' coping skills and behaviors (including obtaining social resources such as emotional and instrumental support from others) and that encourage nonresident Black fathers to stay involved with their children (including honing relationship skills between these men and the mothers of their children) should be a high priority (see, e.g., Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005;Crnic & Greenberg, 1987;Hashima & Amato, 1994;Jackson et al, 2010;Ryan et al, 2009; …”

“…There also is evidence that access to instrumental support from others when needed can be an important parenting resource for single mothers (Cairney, Boyle, Offord, & Racine, 2003;Jackson, Brooks-Gunn, Huang, & Glassman, 2000;McLoyd & Wilson, 1991;Ryan, Kalil, & Leininger, 2009). Some speculate that the salutary effect of such support may be due to mothers feeling less isolated, overwhelmed, and stressed by their parenting when support is available (see, e.g., Crnic & Greenberg, 1987;Hashima & Amato, 1994;Jackson et al, 2000;Waldfogel et al). Others have found that mothers who receive higher levels of social support, including help and support from their partners, are more nurturing toward their children compared with those who receive lower levels and that when single mothers have more material and instrumental support, children have fewer behavioral problems (Cairney et al;Chase-Lansdale, Brooks-Gunn, & Zamsky, 1994;Jackson et al, 2000;Weinraub & Wolf, 1983).…”

An Ecological Understanding of Kinship Foster Care in the United States

“…Understanding how caregivers develop, perceive, maintain, and engage in social-support is an important step towards better knowledge about the types of social-support needed in various situations (Cutrona and Russell 1990). Kin caregivers' social-support networks who engage in activities or exchanges of affective or material nature can reduce the likelihood of stress (Hashima and Amato 1994) and improve the quality of parenting practices (Cochran and Brassard 1979). Several research studies (Bowers and Meyers 1999;Kelley et al 2000;Sands and GoldbergGlen 2000) have examined an association between socialsupport and psychological stress among kin caregivers, particularly grandparents.…”

Violence against Wives and Children in Hong Kong

“…Straus and Gelles (1990) explains family violence as the result of the interaction of different systems: the conflict that is inherent in families, family socialization to violence, the battered person's tolerance of violence, high levels of violence in society, and cultural norms that legitimize violence. In addition, the effect of dysfunctional interactional patterns in families, situational factors such as economic disadvantage, and a lack of social support are also found to be determinants of child abuse and wife battering (Crittenden, 1985;Hashima & Amato, 1994).…”