Low-income African American Mothers Research Articles

Parent Effectiveness Among Single, Low-Income, African American Mothers

This study was an exploratory investigation of parenting effectiveness among 135 single, low-income African American mothers. Two aspects of parenting were investigated, satisfaction with one's ability to parent and parent effectiveness or abilities. Two instruments were used to measure these concepts, the Kansas Parental Satisfaction Scale (James, Schumn, Kennedy, Grigsby, Shectman, & Nichols, 1985) and the Parent Success Indicator for Parents (Strom & Strom, 1998). Results indicate high levels of effective parenting among the group on both measures. This was true regardless of the mother's age, level of income, level of education, number of children, or age of the oldest child. Implications for social work practice, policy, and research are presented.

Identification of factors affecting purchasing and preparation of fruit and vegetables by stage of change for low-income African American mothers using the think-aloud method

The objective of this study was to identify factors affecting the purchase and preparation of fruits and vegetables according to stage of change for low-income African American women with young children. The think-aloud method was used to collect verbalization data in grocery stores as women shopped (N=70) and in their homes during meal preparation (N=68). Audiotaped verbalizations were transcribed verbatim before encoding. Content analysis procedures were used to identify common themes by stage of change. Factors affecting decision making that varied by stage of change were preferences and specific needs (eg, for meals, for family members). Preferences regarding variety, quantity, color, and liking were more often expressed by women in later stages. Women in the later stages also often used meal-planning skills to include fruits and vegetables in meals. Interventions could be tailored according to selected factors regarding purchase and preparation of fruits and vegetables by stage of change to contribute to greater changes in intake.

An HIV Self-Care Symptom Management Intervention for African American Mothers

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has become a serious health problem for low-income African American women in their childbearing years. Interventions that help them cope with feelings about having HIV and increase their understanding of HIV as a chronic disease in which self-care practices, regular health visits, and medications can improve the quality of life can lead to better health outcomes. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of an HIV self-care symptom management intervention for emotional distress and perceptions of health among low-income African American mothers with HIV. Women caregivers of young children were randomly assigned to self-care symptom management intervention or usual care. The intervention, based on a conceptual model related to HIV in African American women, involved six home visits by registered nurses. A baseline pretest and two posttests were conducted with the mothers in both groups. Emotional distress was assessed as depressive symptoms, affective state, stigma, and worry about HIV. Health, self-reported by the mothers, included the number of infections and aspects of health-related quality of life (i.e., perception of health, physical function, energy, health distress, and role function). Regarding emotional distress, the mothers in the experimental group reported fewer feelings of stigma than the mothers in the control group. Outcome assessments of health indicated that the mothers in the experimental group reported higher physical function scores than the control mothers. Within group analysis over time showed a reduction in negative affective state (depression/dejection and tension/anxiety) and stigma as well as infections in the intervention group mothers, whereas a decline in physical and role function was found in the control group. The HIV symptom management intervention has potential as a case management or clinical intervention model for use by public health nurses visiting the home or by advanced practice nurses who see HIV-infected women in primary care or specialty clinics.

PARENT SUCCESS AMONG SINGLE, LOW INCOME, AFRICAN AMERICAN MOTHERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BSW EDUCATION

This study is an exploratory investigation of parent effectiveness among 135 single, low-income African American mothers. This study investigated two aspects of parenting: satisfaction with one's ability to parent and parent effectiveness or ability. The Kansas Parental Satisfaction Scale (James, Schumn, Kennedy, Grigsby & Shectman, 1985) and the Parent Success Indicator for Parents (Strom & Strom, 1998) were used to evaluate these concepts. Results from the study indicate high levels of effective parenting in the group on both measures. This was true regardless of the mother's age, level of income, level of education, number of children, or age of the oldest child. Implications of these findings for social work baccalaureate education are presented.

Exploring Familial Processes in Urban, Low-income African American Families

A family process model was created to explore the direct and indirect links between financial resources, maternal optimism, maternal depression, routine, and various indices of adolescent adjustment among urban African American families. These processes have been explored among rural African American and European American families but not urban African American families. The sample consists of interview data from 164 low-income African American mothers and their adolescent children. The results are congruent with the hypothesized model of family processes. Financial resources are significantly associated with maternal optimism and depression but not routine. Also, maternal optimism is significantly associated with routine although depression is not. Routine is significantly associated with academic self-concept and school engagement but not depression and problem behavior. Maternal optimism and depression do not mediate the relation between financial resources and routine.

Use of the Think Aloud Method to Examine Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Behaviors among Low-Income African American Women

The purpose of this report is to describe the development and implementation of the think aloud method in relation to fruit and vegetable purchasing behaviors of low-income African American mothers. Women (n = 70) were audiotaped as they thought aloud while selecting fruits and vegetables during a routine shopping trip. Audiotapes were transcribed, text was coded, and coded text was sorted using a database software program. Data were analyzed using content analysis procedures. The method was found to be useful in its ability to provide verbalization data for the majority of the women in the sample that reflected a typical shopping experience, were not excessively affected by the presence of the investigator, and captured information processing in relation to salient factors that influenced food purchasing decisions. Because a few women indicated that the method itself may have influenced behavior, future research is needed to test the reactivity of the think aloud method and its relationship to final choice of products.

"A good mother got to fight for her kids": Maternal management strategies in a high-risk, African-American neighborhood

This article critically examines a key tenet of research based on neighborhood effects models (resource, collective socialization, epidemic). This research, based primarily on macro-level demographic data, details the various ways in which inner-city neighborhoods compromise child development. Using recent qualitative data from low-income African-American mothers with young children and who live in a Chicago housing project, we explore how maternal parenting strategies promote the safety and positive development of children in a high-risk, low-resource neighborhood. Findings from in-depth interviews identify buffering strategies (monitoring, cautionary warnings, danger management, chaperonage, confinement) and enhancing strategies (resource-brokering, in-home learning strategies) that protect children from danger and promote positive social, cultural, and academic development. These data expand on narrowly formulated neighborhood effects theories, demonstrating the active role that mothers play in child w...

Informal social support characteristics and utilization of parenting support services among low‐income African American mothers of premature infants

AbstractService delivery efforts to attenuate the risks associated with parenting premature infants in poverty often are compromised because those at greatest risk do not use available parenting support services. Yet, relatively little is known about the networks of support surrounding these parents. This study investigated both the characteristics of informal social support within a sample of 31 low‐income, African American mothers of premature infants at high risk for parenting difficulties and their use of community parenting support services. The findings suggest that mothers had small (M = 4.97, SD = 1.80), but highly mobilized, social support networks consisting primarily of family members. Among six different types of support, informational guidance and parenting support were available from the fewest people in participants' networks. Only 32.3% of the sample was aware of and 16.1% of the sample had ever used formal parenting support services. Participants who had received informal support from more than five people in the last month were significantly more likely to have knowledge about existing community parenting support services than those receiving support from smaller social networks. Patterns of knowledge about and utilization of services were examined with regard to network characteristics, perceived maternal desire for more parenting support opportunities than were available, and presence of special needs in the child. The implications of these findings for parenting support programs are discussed. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

An Attributional Analysis of Child Abuse Among Low-Income African American Mothers

Attribution theory predicts that when someone is perceived as responsible for a negative event, this inference elicits feelings of anger and anger evokes aggressive responding. In contrast, perceived nonresponsibility should be linked to feelings of sympathy and less aggression. These thinking-feeling-action linkages were applied to the domain of child maltreatment in the present study. In individual interviews, samples of abusive, at-risk, and nonabusive African American mothers were presented with videotaped scenarios depicting a target child engaged in misbehavior. Mothers rated the severity of the behavior, how responsible they perceived the child to be, their feelings of sympathy and anger, and how much punishment they would endorse, coded as mild to harsh. They also completed a measure of parental stress. Compared with nonabusive mothers, abusive mothers reported more stress, perceived the behavior as more negative, inferred the child to be more responsible, reported more anger, and endorsed harsher punishment. The attributional data of at-risk mothers consistently fell between that of the other two groups. Regression and path analyses documented a systematic pattern of thinking-feeling-action linkages in accord with attributional predictions. The usefulness of an attributional approach to child maltreatment and the implications of the findings as a model for intervention were discussed.

Low-income African-American mothers' perception of exposure to racial discrimination and infant birth weight.

We performed a hospital-based case-control study of African-American mothers to explore the relation between a mother's perception of exposure to racial discrimination during pregnancy and very low birth weight. We administered a structured questionnaire to low-income mothers of very low birth weight (<1500 gm; N = 25) and non-low birth weight (>2500 gm; N = 60) infants. The unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio of very low birth weight for maternal exposure to racial discrimination were 1.9 (0.5-6.6) and 3.2 (0.9-11.3), respectively. We conclude that maternal perception of exposure to racial discrimination during pregnancy may be associated with very low birth weight in their infants.

Parenting among low-income, African American single mothers with preschool-age children: patterns, predictors, and developmental correlates.

Dimensions and patterns of parenting were examined in a sample of 193 low-income African American single mothers with preschool-age children. Factor analyses yielded three dimensions: Aggravation, Nurturance, and Cognitive Stimulation. Cluster analysis yielded four patterns of parenting: Aggravated but Nurturant; Cognitively Stimulating; Patient and Nurturant; and Low Nurturance. Discriminant function analysis was used to predict membership in each of the four parenting clusters. Two composite functions emerged, the first representing maternal well-being (locus of control, depressive symptoms), the second representing sociodemographic characteristics (maternal education, duration on welfare, age at first birth), accounting for 93% of between-groups variability. Children's scores on measures of cognitive school readiness and personal maturity were significantly related to parenting pattern, even after controlling for significant predictors of parenting pattern; children's verbal ability was no longer related to parenting pattern once significant maternal characteristics were controlled. Findings are discussed in terms of contributions to the literature on parenting and in terms of implications for welfare policy and programs.

Low Income African American Mothers' Parenting Stress and Instructional Strategies to Promote Peer Relationships in Preschool Children

This study investigated mothers' stress as a predictor of her instructional strategies for promoting peer relationships in preschool children. Forty-two low income African American mothers responded to structured interviews on the teaching strategies they frequently used to facilitate peer interactions of their two to three- and-a-half-year-old children. Mothers' stress was measured by The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Using regression analysis, three stress predictors of mothers' strategies to promote peer relationships were examined: parental distress, difficult child, and parent-child dysfunctional interactions. The three predictors of stress had a differential impact on mothers' instructional strategies. As stress increased: (a) when teaching their own children, mothers more frequently used strategies that reduced antisocial behaviors and less frequently used the strategies that promoted pro-social behaviors towards peers; (b) when teaching their children's peers, mothers less frequently used strategies that would directly benefit these children. Educational implications of these findings for stressed parents, professionals who work with stressed parents, as well as those professionals who teach parent educators are examined.

Using the Moral Vision of African American Stories to Empower Low-Income African American Women

On the basis of in-depth interviews with 30 low-income African American mothers who told their children Brer Rabbit stories, this article discusses the moral values the women conveyed. During sto rytelling, the women distanced themselves from Christian views of the absolute evil of tricks to interpret Brer Rabbit's tricks as clever and protective of the small and defenseless. Intervention strategies are presented to suggest how social workers can use the women's moral vision to change negative valuations of African American morals and to empower low-income African American women clients.

Condoms and Consequences: HIV/AIDS Education and African American Women

Low income African American mothers of elementary school children in Oakland, California, participated in six prevention training sessions that fused education about HIV/AIDS with other life-skills and resources. This exploratory intervention, known as the Healthy Mamas Project, was based on the Theory of Reasoned Action with inclusion of self-efficacy. Responses to a questionnaire at baseline and at 3-month follow up show that all women (N=15) entered the training program with, and sustained, a high level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Based on self-reports of attitudes and behaviors at the 3-month follow-up, training affected only some women beneficially. Overall, 42% of the participants expressed increased trust in and resolve to use condoms to reduce the likelihood of acquiring HIV infection. Differences in demographic characteristics and sexual practices distinguished women who accepted the educational messages about condoms from participants who did not. The intervention did not sufficiently recognize...

Maternal drug use during pregnancy: are preterm and full-term infants affected differently?

This study examined whether preterm infants are more vulnerable to the effects of prenatal drug exposure than are full-term infants. The sample of 235 low-income African American mothers and their infants included 119 cocaine-polydrug users, 19 alcohol-only users, and 97 nonusers; 148 infants were full term and 87 were preterm. Direct effects of exposure on birth weight, birth length, ponderal index, and irritability were moderated by length of gestation: Fetal growth deficits were more extreme in later-born infants, whereas increases in irritability were more extreme in earlier born infants. Effects of exposure on cardiorespiratory reactivity to a neonatal exam were not moderated by length of gestation. In general, effects of exposure occurred for both cocaine-polydrug and alcohol only users and so could not be unambiguously attributed to either of these drugs alone.

Parenting Stress and Abuse Potential in Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Most research on parenting stress and abuse factors in parents of children with developmental disabilities has relied almost exclusively on Caucasian, middle-income, intact families. The current study investigated the generalizability of previous findings, examining the relations among parenting stress, abuse potential, and child's intellectual/adaptive functioning in a sample of low-income African American mothers of children with developmental delays. Thirty-three maternal caregivers completed the Child Abuse Potential Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index. Results indicated significant parenting stress, particularly aspects related to the child, as well as considerable physical abuse potential. Parenting stress was strongly correlated with abuse potential, particularly stress related to parental attributes. Neither parenting stress nor abuse potential were significantly correlated with the child's intellectual or adaptive functioning. Concerns regarding the appropriateness of these measures with this population and the need for controlled studies are discussed.

Voices: Examining The Barriers to Support in the Lives of Head Start Mothers

The present study used a qualitative methodology to examine how support mechanisms function for low-income African- American female-headed families. Results provide a description of the support received from family, friends, romantic partners, churches, human service agencies, and schools as well as a discussion of the barriers that prevented these support systems from working more effectively. Almost all women had networks of supportive individuals that included family, friends, and romantic partners. However, support from human service agencies, churches, and schools were not often used as a support mechanism. Barriers included trust, conflict, neediness, and a lack of respect. The quality of the relationship was the most important factor contributing to effective support. The information for this investigation was collected from a larger interview conducted by the VoICES project. The VoICES (Voices Initiating Community Empowerment) project is a qualitative investigation of low-income African-American single mothers living in a Midwest urban community. The project began with a concern that inadequate attention was being given to the opinions and feelings of African-American single mothers living in poverty, relative to designing programs and intervention strategies. The project's goal was to better inform policy and to develop more appropriate intervention/prevention programs.

HIV risk among low-income African American mothers of elementary school children.

Data from 119 African American low-income mothers of school aged children in Oakland, California show that 38% engaged in behavior that might place them at risk of exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Risk behaviors that were investigated included having multiple partners and having a partner with an incarceration history. Of women studied, 23% were at risk because of multiple partners, while 15% were at risk as a result of having had an incarcerated partner. Women who were < or = 35 years of age were three times more likely to report having had an incarcerated partner compared to women > or = 36 years of age (22% vs. 6%) mean 2 = 5.59, P < or = .01). Single women were also more likely to report having had a partner who had been incarcerated, 21% compared to 9% of married women (mean 2 = 3.73, P < or = .05). Although no significant relationships were found with respect to condom use, a larger proportion of women with an incarcerated partner reported never using condoms (71%) compared to women without an incarcerated partner (63%); whereas, fewer women with multiple partners reported never using condoms (56%) compared to women without multiple partners (67%). Findings suggest that low-income African American women outside of traditional high-risk groups (i.e., generally studied in high-risk settings such as drug treatment centers, sexually transmitted disease [STD] clinics, hospitals or from the sex industry) may be at risk and should be targeted in HIV risk prevention programs. These women may not consider themselves to be at risk and are not generally targeted in HIV risk prevention programs because they are mothers, housewives, and working women.

The relations of maternal social support and family structure with maternal responsiveness and child outcomes among African American families.

The social support networks and family structure of 62 low-income African American mothers were related to proximal and distal measures of the mother's parenting style and to the children's social and cognitive development. Women with larger support networks tended to be more responsive in interactions with their infants and to provide more stimulating home environments than mothers with smaller social networks. Activity level was the only infant outcome significantly related to social support. Family structure was not associated with either maternal or child outcomes in these analyses. These results support a systems model of parenting behavior and child development by indicating that maternal caregiving may be positively influenced by supportive social networks.

Body image ideals of low-income African American mothers and their preadolescent daughters

Given the high incidence of obesity and obesity-related health problems among low-income African American women, it is both timely and significant to study factors that contribute to obesity in this population. The perception of current body size (body image) and desired body size (body image ideal) has been associated with the development of anorexia and bulimia in white adolescent girls. Body images and ideals may also be related to the development of obesity among African Americans adolescent girls. This study examined the body images and ideals of 27 low-income African American mothers and their 29 preadolescent daughters. Results suggest that there is a relationship between mothers' perceptions of their daughters bodies and their daughters' body images. Preadolescent, low-income, African American girls have normal weight ideals rather than the ultrathin ideals typically found among white girls. Normal weight girls have ideals that are heavier than their body images. This population may be less motivated than those with thinner ideals to engage in behaviors that would prevent the development of obesity during adolescence. Health promotion programs for this population should acknowledge cultural body weight standards.