Stress and parenting among Mexican American and European American families
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the process by which various stressors (economic and life event stressors) influence the parenting behaviors of Mexican American and European American parents. A model was devised that posits that family cohesion and various coping strategies (e.g., social support) mediate the influence of stressors on parenting behavior. Unlike previous studies in the literature, I also explored how the relation between stress and parenting differed for mothers and fathers and across ethnicity (European American and Mexican American parents). Data from 509 parents (150 Mexican American mothers, 150 Mexican American fathers, 105 European American mothers, 104 European American fathers) of fifth graders was collected as part of a three-wave longitudinal data collection entitled Ethnicity, Economic Stress and Adaptation in Families (Parke, 2005). Parents completed surveys, which included questions on economic hardship, economic pressure, life event stressors, coping strategies, family cohesion, and parenting behaviors. Multiple group structural equation modeling was used to assess differences in models across parent gender and ethnicity. Few ethnic or gender related differences were found across the models of stress and parenting which were tested in this study. Family cohesion was found to mediate more strongly between parents' appraisals of stress and parenting behaviors than did family coping strategies. Appraisals of stress were found to be strongly and negatively related to family cohesion, and negatively related to number of coping strategies. Contrary to my hypotheses, coping strategies and family cohesion were related to parenting behaviors in unique ways. Results are discussed in terms of potential research on stress and coping, and applications for professionals working with diverse populations.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
MacDermid, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Minority & ethnic groups|Sociology
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