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This study applies an ecodevelopmental stress process model to consider the extent to which social support buffers mothers from experiencing depressive symptoms and parenting stress among a community sample of 81 Mexican American mothers of toddlers. Specifically, we examine how mother-reported perceived global and parenting-specific social support interact with economic strain and child negative affectivity in the prediction of maternal depressive symptoms and parenting stress. We also examine the extent to which both forms of social support interact with mothers' familism support beliefs. Findings indicate that parenting-specific social support interrupts the positive associations between economic strain and negative child affect and maternal depressive symptoms, above and beyond the influence of global social support. Moreover, the combination of high familism beliefs and global social support reduces risks for maternal depressive symptoms.

Paternal support is often linked to lower levels of maternal psychological distress; however, research has seldom considered the increasing numbers of Mexican‐origin families with a romantic partner social (RPS) father (i.e., mothers' partners who are not formally identified as stepfathers). This study applied a bioecological systems framework to test linkages between support from RPS fathers and maternal depressive symptoms and parenting stress and to consider whether nonresident biological father support and instrumental social support moderate these associations. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the authors analyzed a subsample of Mexican‐origin mothers (N = 76) with 3‐year‐old children. Findings indicated that maternal perceptions of support from RPS fathers were inversely related to depressive symptomatology only when mothers also perceived high levels of support from biological fathers, and the relationship with the RPS father began recently. Neither RPS nor biological father support was associated with maternal parenting stress.