“I can, therefore I must”: Fragility in the upper-middle classes

Luthar, Suniya S.; Barkin, Samuel H.; Crossman, Elizabeth J.

doi:10.1017/s0954579413000758

Cited by 106 publications

(138 citation statements)

References 125 publications

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“…Each of these constructs was associated with higher levels of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress. The findings on role overload lend support to suggestions that when these mothers feel stretched thin by all their everyday responsibilities, this can in fact engender significant ego-depletion (Lareau & Weininger, 2008; Luthar et al, 2013). With regard to guilt, similarly, a mother's feeling (“accurate” or not) that she is not putting out enough for her children is, intuitively, likely to bring about distress.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Who mothers mommy? Factors that contribute to mothers’ well-being.

Luthar¹,

Ciciolla²

2015

Developmental Psychology

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Developmental science is replete with studies on the impact of mothers on their children, but little is known about what might best help caregivers to function well themselves. In an initial effort to address this gap, we conducted an internet-based study of over 2,000 mostly well-educated mothers, seeking to illuminate salient risk and protective processes associated with their personal well-being. When women's feelings in the parenting role were considered along with dimensions of personal support as predictors, the latter set explained at least as much variance -- and often much more -- across dimensions of mothers’ personal well-being. Within the latter set of personal support predictors, findings showed that four had particularly robust links with mothers’ personal adjustment: Their feeling unconditionally loved, feeling comforted when in distress, authenticity in relationships, and satisfaction with friendships. Partner satisfaction had some associations with personal adjustment outcomes, but being married in itself had negligible effects. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research, and for interventions aimed at fostering resilience among mothers facing high level of stress in their role as parents.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Who mothers mommy? Factors that contribute to mothers’ well-being.

Luthar¹,

Ciciolla²

2015

Developmental Psychology

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“…When people individualistically focus on maximizing their own goals, they can feel less connected to people around them (Myers and Diener, 1995). Among upper-middle class children, sports as leisure and spontaneous play has largely been replaced by regimented competition as early as second grade (Luthar et al, 2013). One study found that possession of high income reduced people's ability to savor the pleasures of everyday life (Quoidbach et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Dimensions of Spirituality: Implications for Mental Health in China, India, and the United States

2016

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While the field of empirical study on religion and spirituality in relation to mental health has rapidly expanded over the past decade, little is known about underlying dimensions of spirituality cross-culturally conceived. We aimed to bridge this gap by inductively deriving potential universal dimensions of spirituality through a large-scale, multi-national data collection, and examining the relationships of these dimensions with common psychiatric conditions. Five-thousand five-hundred and twelve participants from China, India, and the United States completed a two-hour online survey consisting of wide-ranging measures of the lived experience of spirituality, as well as clinical assessments. A series of inductive Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and cross-validating Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) were conducted to derive common underlying dimensions of spirituality. Logistic regression analyses were then conducted with each dimension to predict depression, suicidal ideation, generalized anxiety, and substance-related disorders. Preliminary EFA results were consistently supported by ESEM findings. Analyses of 40 spirituality measures revealed five invariant factors across countries which were interpreted as five dimensions of universal spiritual experience, specifically: love, in the fabric of relationships and as a sacred reality; unifying interconnectedness, as a sense of energetic oneness with other beings in the universe; altruism, as a commitment beyond the self with care and service; contemplative practice, such as meditation, prayer, yoga, or qigong; and religious and spiritual reflection and commitment, as a life well-examined. Love, interconnectedness, and altruism were associated with less risk of psychopathology for all countries. Religious and spiritual reflection and commitment and contemplative practice were associated with less risk in India and the United States but associated with greater risk in China. Education was directly associated with dimensions of spiritual awareness in India and China but inversely associated with dimensions in the United States. Findings support the notion that spirituality is a universal phenomenon with potentially universal dimensions. These aspects of spirituality may each offer protective effects against psychiatric symptoms and disorders and suggest new directions for treatment.

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“…For example, children and youth in affluent communities face sources of chronic stress, such as high workloads among parents, which can affect parental attunement, and high pressures to excel at home and at school (Coley, Sims, Dearing, & Spielvogel, 2017). Recent research suggests these sources of stress are associated with elevated risk for substance abuse, social and emotional maladaptation, and risky behaviors (Lund, Dearing, & Zachrisson, 2017;Luthar, Small, & Ciciolla, 2017;Luthar, Barkin, & Crossman, 2013).…”

Section: Povertymentioning

confidence: 99%