Family Structure Effects on the Parenting Practices of African-American
Mothers
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Daphne S. Cain
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College of Social Work
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The University of Tennessee – Knoxville
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Henson Hall
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Knoxville TN 37996-0164
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dcain1@utk.edu
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Elizabeth Wilson
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College of Social Work
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The University of Tennessee – Knoxville
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Henson Hall
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Knoxville TN 37996-0164
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Terri Combs-Orme
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College of Social Work
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The University of Tennessee – Knoxville
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Henson Hall
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Knoxville TN 37996-0164
Purpose
Previous research suggests that family structure is related to parenting
style and parenting stress, with single parenting believed to be related
to less competent and more stressful parenting. The purpose of this
study is to disentangle family structure from other variables on the parenting
practices of African-American mothers of infants.
Methods
A sample of 247 mothers and infants (103 African-American) were recruited
at delivery and reinterviewed at home when infants were 6-12 months old.
Regression techniques controlling for maternal age, education, employment
and income will be used to determine the relationships among family structure
(single mother, nuclear family, extended family), maternal knowledge and
attitudes toward parenting (as measured by the Adult-Adolescent Parenting
Inventory – AAPI –2), and parenting stress (as measured by the Parenting
Stress Index – PSI).
Results
Preliminary analyses indicate demographic and psychosocial variability
appears to play a greater role in parenting practices than family structure.
Family structure affects role clarity and parent/child dysfunctional interaction,
but maternal age, education, employment, and total family income affect
maternal empathy, corporal punishment, parental distress, and the identification
of the infant as a “difficult child”.
Implications for Practice
The family configuration from which a mother parents her infant may
not be as important as the underlying circumstances that contributed to
her living arrangements. The demographic and psychosocial commonalties
of mothers within various family structure configurations appear to affect
maternal parenting more so than family structure. Thus, a shift in
focus from the single-mother family configuration to the economic and social
disparity of many African-American mothers warrants further consideration.