Promoting School Readiness in the Context of Socio-Economic Adversity: Associations with Parental Demoralization and Support for Learning.

Abstract

Existing research suggests that parenting stress and demoralization, as well as provision of learning activities at home, significantly affect the child's school readiness in low-income families. However, the degree to which these dimensions of parenting uniquely influence child school readiness remains unclear. This study tested the hypotheses that parent demoralization and support for learning are distinct constructs and that they would independently influence child school readiness. 117 children in Kindergarten with lower literacy and language skills and their parents were recruited from three Northeastern school districts serving primarily low-income families. Parents reported on their depressive symptoms, parenting difficulties, attitudes and behaviors related to learning activities, and the frequency of parent-child conversation at home. Teachers provided reports of the child's school readiness, as indicated by classroom behaviors, approaches to learning, and emergent language and literacy skills. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the study hypotheses. Parent demoralization and support for learning emerged as distinct constructs based on factor analysis. Structural equation models revealed that parent demoralization is negatively associated with child school readiness, whereas parent support for learning is positively associated with child school readiness. Neither parenting construct mediated the effects of the other. Among low-income families with children at high risk for child school maladjustment, parental demoralization and support of learning opportunities at home appear to independently influence the child's school readiness. Parent-based interventions targeting child school readiness would likely benefit from enhancing both parental self-efficacy and provision of learning activities.