Youth externalizing problems in African American single-mother families: A culturally relevant model.

Abstract

African American youth, particularly those from single mother homes, are more likely to evidence externalizing problems than European American youth and youth from two parent homes; however, relatively little empirical attention has been devoted to identifying the contextual variables associated with externalizing problems within this at-risk group. Accordingly, this study examined the family as a context for youth externalizing problems among 194 African American single mother-youth dyads. Findings demonstrated that higher levels of mother-coparent conflict were associated directly, as well as indirectly via compromises in coparent (but not maternal) warmth, with youth externalizing problems. The spillover from mother-coparent conflict to coparent warmth to child externalizing problems did not vary depending upon family income. Findings suggest that prevention and intervention programs targeting African American youth from single mother homes may be strengthened with greater attention to variability in family processes, as well as a more sensitive assessment of which adults are centrally involved in childrearing.

Single Mother Parenting and Adolescent Psychopathology

“…Single mothers were more likely to be African American, χ 2 (1) = 29.27, p < .001, OR = 0.31, and have children who qualify for subsidized school lunch, χ 2 (1) = 37.75, p < .001, OR = 3.77, than cohabitating mothers. Racial and socioeconomic status differences between single mothers and cohabitating mothers are well established (Goodrum et al, 2012), and were subsequently controlled for in all analyses. Furthermore, adolescents in single-mother families were more likely to experience significant stressful events during their childhood relative to adolescents from two-parent families, t (384) = 2.77, p < .01, β = 0.14.…”

“…Unfortunately, much of the evidence suggests that single-mother families tend to be disadvantaged at systemic and individual levels relative to two-parent families (Kendig & Bianchi, 2008). Single-mother families are far more likely to experience poverty than two-parent families due to the loss of a partner’s finances, lower maternal educational attainment, and discriminatory wages against women (Cherlin, 1992; Goodrum, Jones, Kincaid, Cueller, & Parent, 2012). Further, members of single-mother families spend less time together because of additional obligations that mothers and their children have in the absence of an additional primary caretaker (Kendig & Bianchi, 2008).…”

“…Mothers who exhibit less involvement, and thus more hostility and rejection, are overly critical, communicate ineffectively and infrequently, show little compassion, and offer minimal emotional support. From early childhood through adolescence, and across clinical and nonclinical samples, maternal rejection is significantly associated with youth depressive, externalizing, and anxiety diagnoses and symptoms (Burge & Hammen, 1991; Garber, Robinson, & Valentiner, 1997; Goodrum et al, 2012; Hale, Engels, & Meeus, 2006). …”

“…Furthermore, single mothers are more likely than cohabitating mothers to parent with rejecting and psychologically controlling behaviors (Amato, 1993; Hilton & Devall, 1998; Kincaid, Jones, Cuellar, & Gonzalelz, 2011; McBride-Murry et al, 2001). Although several studies have found that youth are more susceptible to psychosocial maladjustment in single-mother families due to negative parenting (Goodrum et al, 2012; Hilton & Devall, 1998; Kincaid et al, 2011), there remain gaps in this limited body of research that we aim to address in the current study. The vast majority of research has compared children of divorced and intact two-parent families (Amato & Keith, 1991; Hilton & Devall, 1998), but many single-mothers are single in the absence of divorce (e.g., widowed, never married, spouse is absent from home).…”

“…The vast majority of research has compared children of divorced and intact two-parent families (Amato & Keith, 1991; Hilton & Devall, 1998), but many single-mothers are single in the absence of divorce (e.g., widowed, never married, spouse is absent from home). Similarly, whereas most studies have focused exclusively on low-income African-American families (Goodrum et al, 2012), it is important to understand the influence of parenting across demographically diverse families. Moreover, single-mother family research has predominately focused on youth behavioral problems rather than psychopathological symptoms and disorders, which are especially critical to study to help guide clinical interventions.…”