Linking Perceived Discrimination to Longitudinal Changes in African American Mothers' Parenting Practices

Y

13

Intervals; Mothers; Structural Equation Models; Racial Discrimination; Parenting Styles; Child Rearing; Depression (Psychology); Longitudinal Studies; African Americans; Rural Areas; Interviews; Stress Variables; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Health; Parent Child Relationship

10.1111/j.1741-3737.2008.00484.x

0022-2445

This longitudinal study was designed to test hypotheses, derived from a stress proliferation framework, regarding the association between perceived racial discrimination and changes in parenting among African American mothers in the rural South. A sample of 139 mothers and their children were interviewed 3 times at 1-year intervals. Mothers reported on perceived discrimination and two proliferated stressors: stress-related health problems and depressive symptoms. Both mothers and children reported on mothers' competence-promoting parenting. Structural equation modeling revealed a chain-like sequence: Perceived discrimination forecast increases in mothers' stress-related health problems, which in turn were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms constituted the proximal variable associated with decreases in mothers' competence-promoting parenting. These results emerged independent of socioeconomic characteristics.

Author

47

2008

EJ790531