Lower Levels Of Parental Support Research Articles

Rainbow babies: Trauma and parenting after pregnancy loss.

Parents with a history of pregnancy loss may be at greater risk for less secure attachment (Côté-Arsenault et al., 2020) and likely experience parenting differently than those without pregnancy loss. However, existing literature regarding pregnancy loss and parenting has focused nearly exclusively on attachment and has produced inconsistent findings. The present study aims to expand the scope of previously studied parenting indices by examining the role of pregnancy loss in relation to beliefs about parenthood as well as levels of parental support, satisfaction, involvement, and limit-setting. Cumulative trauma was included in the model to assess the role of trauma exposure. Two hundred twenty-one parents (Mage = 41.69, SD = 12.73; 72.9% female) with at least one living child were recruited from either Amazon's Mechanical Turk or a midwestern university. Pregnancy loss was associated with lower levels of parental support, but did not evince links with parenting perceptions or other aspects of the parent-child relationship. Mothers reported receiving less support than fathers. Racial minorities endorsed less positive child perceptions and lower levels of parental satisfaction and involvement. Cumulative trauma, surprisingly, was unrelated to all of the parenting indices. Pregnancy loss may be related to lower perceptions of parental support, but may not be tied to parenting beliefs or aspects of the parent-child relationship. Future research should further consider context of the loss experience to better unpack how pregnancy loss may be related to specific parenting factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parental Support and Positive Mood Buffer Adolescents' Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

School closures during the first COVID‐19 lockdown in 2020 severely disrupted adolescents’ lives. We used a daily diary method for 20 days, including online and physical school days, assessing daily mood, social support and conflict, and academic motivation in 102 adolescents aged 12–16 years. We found that adolescents’ academic motivation was lower on online compared with physical school days. In general, positive mood was positively associated with academic motivation, and friend conflict related negatively to academic motivation. Moreover, lower levels of parental support were related to lower academic motivation on online versus physical school days. Overall, these findings identified some critical changes in adolescents’ daily experiences during the COVID‐19 school closure and social‐emotional factors that may buffer decreases in adolescents’ academic motivation.

The effects of partner perceptions on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and aspects of parenting.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with parenting difficulties, but the role of partner perceptions in this relationship is unclear. The present study aimed to (a) examine the links between partner perceptions, three PTSD symptom clusters (i.e., avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, changes in arousal and reactivity), and aspects of parenting (i.e., support, satisfaction, involvement) and (b) determine if partner perceptions moderate these relationships. In total, 225 trauma-exposed parents (M = 36.87, SD = 8.32, 64% female, 52.9% White) were assessed via self-report measures. As expected, the negative alterations in cognitions and mood and arousal and reactivity clusters were negatively associated with partner perceptions (r = -.17 and -.24, respectively) and all three parenting indices (rs = -.15 to -.35). Avoidance symptoms were unrelated to partner perceptions but were tied to parental support and satisfaction (rs = -.15). Partner perceptions moderated the relationships between negative alterations in cognitions and mood and support and satisfaction (βs = .02), as well as changes in arousal and reactivity and support (β = .02). Parents with negative alterations in cognitions and mood and arousal and reactivity symptoms who perceive their partners negatively may be at higher risk for experiencing lower levels of parental support or satisfaction. Additionally, the negative links between the aforementioned symptom clusters and parenting disappeared in the context of positive partner perceptions, indicating a potential protective factor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Explaining Variability in Response Style Traits: A Covariate-Adjusted IRTree.

Contamination of responses due to extreme and midpoint response style can confound the interpretation of scores, threatening the validity of inferences made from survey responses. This study incorporated person-level covariates in the multidimensional item response tree model to explain heterogeneity in response style. We include an empirical example and two simulation studies to support the use and interpretation of the model: parameter recovery using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation and performance of the model under conditions with and without response styles present. Item intercepts mean bias and root mean square error were small at all sample sizes. Item discrimination mean bias and root mean square error were also small but tended to be smaller when covariates were unrelated to, or had a weak relationship with, the latent traits. Item and regression parameters are estimated with sufficient accuracy when sample sizes are greater than approximately 1,000 and MCMC estimation with the Gibbs sampler is used. The empirical example uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health's sexual knowledge scale. Meaningful predictors associated with high levels of extreme response latent trait included being non-White, being male, and having high levels of parental support and relationships. Meaningful predictors associated with high levels of the midpoint response latent trait included having low levels of parental support and relationships. Item-level covariates indicate the response style pseudo-items were less easy to endorse for self-oriented items, whereas the trait of interest pseudo-items were easier to endorse for self-oriented items.

Homelessness and Suicidality: The Role of Bullying and Parental Support

ObjectiveTo examine the relation between homelessness and suicidality and to test bullying as a mediator and parental support as a moderator of these relations.BackgroundYouth from low‐income families are more likely to be bullied and in turn experience negative mental health outcomes. Parental support has been reported to mitigate the effects of stressful events, such as being bullied. However, these relations are still undocumented among youth experiencing homelessness.MethodThis study included a random sample of 2,049 stably housed and 64 homeless youth enrolled in the Delaware Public Schools, grades 9 through 12, who completed the 2015 Delaware Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Hayes's PROCESS macro was used to test for a moderated mediation relation between bullying, suicidality, and parental support for homeless youth. Results: Bullying mediated the relation between homelessness and suicidality, and parental support moderated the relation between bullying and suicidality. Youth experiencing homelessness reported more bullying, which was associated with more severe suicidality. For youth experiencing homelessness with low levels of parental support, bullying was associated with more severe suicidality. Conversely, for youth with high levels of parental support, bullying was not associated with more severe suicidality.ConclusionThis study indicates that bullying is a mechanism through which homelessness and suicidality are related, while also demonstrating the importance of parental support.ImplicationThe increased risk of suicidality among youth experiencing homelessness who are bullied, as well as the effects of parental support, warrant attention from school personnel and youth service providers.

Criterion A vs. Non-Criterion A Stressors: Relations to Parenting Perceptions, Support, Satisfaction, and Involvement

ABSTRACTExposure to Criterion A traumatic events and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been associated with increased risk for parenting difficulties. Significant life stressors not considered to be Criterion A events, such as emotional abuse and neglect, may also increase the risk for parenting difficulties. However, research has not simultaneously investigated Criterion A events and non-Criterion A stressors in relation to indices of parenting. The current study examined whether both Criterion A and non-Criterion A events were associated with more negative parenting perceptions and lower levels of parental satisfaction, support, and involvement. The study also determined whether Criterion A and non-sCriterion A events remained related to parenting outcomes after accounting for PTSS among 243 parents (Mage = 37.59; SD = 8.35; 61.6% female; 54.6% White). Non-Criterion A stressors were tied to more negative parenting-related perceptions of one’s partner and social relationships and lower levels of parental support (range βs = −.20 – .23). Even after controlling for PTSS, exposure to non-Criterion A stressors remained associated with more negative parenting-specific beliefs regarding one’s partner (β = −.17) and marginally to perceptions of relationships (β = −.13), yet were related to higher levels of parenting satisfaction and involvement (range βs = .18 – .21). Criterion A events were unrelated to parenting perceptions and behavior, irrespective of PTSS. Interestingly, non-Criterion A stressors may exhibit stronger ties to parenting difficulties than Criterion A events. Stressful life experiences, along with PTSS, may be important to address to improve parenting outcomes among stress-exposed parents.

A multi-factorial perspective on ADHD and ODD in school-aged children: What is the role of cognitive regulation, temperament, and parental support?

ABSTRACTIntroduction: It is well established that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder of self-regulation. As such, ADHD is associated with disturbed cognitive regulation, extreme temperament traits, and deficient extrinsic regulation such as parenting. Despite these associations, cognitive regulation, temperament, and parenting have not previously been examined simultaneously in relation to ADHD symptoms in school-aged children. To bridge this gap of knowledge, we examined effects of these important aspects of self-regulation on symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and comorbid symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in children with and without a diagnosis of ADHD.Method: The sample consisted of 77 children aged 8 to 12 years (~40% had a diagnosis of ADHD). We assessed cognitive regulation (i.e., complex inhibition and working memory) during a lab visit and parents rated child temperament (negative affect, surgency, and effortful control) and parental support. Parents and teachers rated ADHD and ODD symptoms in the child. We performed continuous analyses, informed by a dimensional perspective on ADHD.Results: Working memory contributed independently to inattention (β = −.19, p < .05). Effortful control contributed independently to inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity (βs = −.50 and −.49, ps < .01). Negative affect contributed to ODD symptoms as moderated by parental support (β = .58, p < .01). Specifically, for children who received lower levels of parental support there was a significant positive association between negative affect and ODD symptoms.Conclusions: The results propose that both cognitive regulation and effortful control influence ADHD symptoms. Moreover, different factors seem to be involved in ADHD and ODD, with regulatory deficits specifically related to ADHD symptoms, and elevated negative affect specifically related to ODD symptoms. Interestingly, parenting moderated the relationship between negative affect and ODD symptoms, with a suggested protective effect of high parental support for children with high levels of negative affect.

Perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence and suicidal ideation in young adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the i-Share study

BackgroundSuicidal ideation and suicidal risk assessment are major concerns for health professionals. The perception of a low level of parental support is a risk factor for suicidal tendencies among adolescents, but little is known about its long-term impact on the vulnerability to suicidal behavior in young adults. We investigated whether the perceived level of parental support during childhood and adolescence was associated with current suicidal ideation in young adults.MethodsWe retrieved data collected in the i-Share study from February 1st, 2013 through January 30, 2017. This cross-sectional study included 10,015 French students, aged 18–24 years that completed an on-line self-reported questionnaire about suicidal ideation in the last 12 months and their perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence. We performed multinomial logistic regressions and sensitivity analyses to assess associations between the degree of perceived parental support and the frequency suicidal thoughts, after adjusting for the main known risk factors of suicidal ideation. We employed multiple imputations to account for missing data.ResultsThe study sample included 7539 female (75.7%) and 2436 male (24.3%) students (mean [SD] age 20.0 [1.8] years). About one in five students reported occasional suicidal thoughts (n = 1775, 17.7%) and 368 students (3.7%) reported frequent suicidal thoughts. The adjusted multinomial logistic regression revealed a significant negative association between perceived parental support and suicidal thoughts. A lack of perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence was associated with > 4-fold elevated risk of occasional (adjusted OR, 4.55; 95% CI: 2.97–6.99) and nearly 9-fold elevated risk of frequent (adjusted OR, 8.58; 95% CI: 4.62–15.96) suicidal thoughts, compared to individuals that perceived extremely strong parental support. This association was strongest among students with no personal history of depression or suicide attempts.ConclusionsStudents that perceived low levels of past parental support had a higher risk of suicidal ideation. Past perceived parental support appeared to be a potent marker of suicidal risk in young adults. This marker should be routinely collected in studies on suicidal risk in young adults, and it could be considered an additional screening tool.

Does parental support enhance the link between restrictions and adolescents' risky driving?

Parents' driving restrictions appear to reduce adolescent risky driving, which is associated with crash risk, yet the relational context in which parents impose restrictions may alter their effectiveness. Newly licensed adolescents (n = 151, Mage = 17.1 years, 53% female) and their parents (n = 174, 71% mothers) reported parenting style, driving restrictions, and risky driving behaviors. Concurrently, higher levels of parent-imposed driving restrictions were associated with lower levels of inexperience-based and volitional risky driving shortly after licensure. The associations were stronger in the context of high levels of parental support than in the context of low levels of parental support, particularly for boys. The associations also were stronger for inexperience-based risky driving than for volitional risky driving. Longitudinally, restrictions imposed shortly after licensure were not associated with inexperience-based and volitional risky driving one year later after controlling for risky driving shortly after licensure.

Marital stress and children's externalizing behavior as predictors of mothers' and fathers' parenting.

Previous research suggests that mothers' and fathers' parenting may be differentially influenced by marital and child factors within the family. Some research indicates that marital stress is more influential in fathers' than mothers' parenting, whereas other research shows that children's difficult behavior preferentially affects mothers' parenting. The present study examined marital stress and children's externalizing behavior in middle childhood as predictors of mothers' versus fathers' consistency, monitoring, and support and care in early adolescence, and the subsequent associations of these parenting behaviors with externalizing behavior 1.5 years later. Pathways were examined within a longitudinal mediation model testing for moderation by parent gender (N = 276 mothers, N = 229 fathers). Children's externalizing behavior in middle childhood was found to more strongly inversely predict mothers' versus fathers' monitoring in early adolescence. In contrast, marital stress more strongly predicted low monitoring for fathers than for mothers. Regardless of parent gender, marital stress predicted lower levels of parental consistency, and children's externalizing behavior predicted lower levels of parental support. Mothers' monitoring and fathers' support in early adolescence predicted lower levels of externalizing behavior 1.5 years later. The results are discussed with respect to family transactions relative to parent gender and implications for intervention.

The social development of right-wing authoritarianism: The interaction between parental autonomy support and societal threat to safety

We tested the hypothesis that parental support for autonomy moderates the effects of societal threat to safety on the development of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). In a quasi-experimental study performed on 241 Italian university students, societal threat to safety fostered RWA only among participants who reported low levels of parental support for autonomy.

Discrimination and Ethnic Identity as Predictors of Substance Use and Delinquency Among Immigrant Adolescents From the FSU and Ethiopia in Israel

The current study explores perceived discrimination and ethnic identity as predictors of delinquency and substance use among adolescent immigrants in Israel. Theoretically, the study draws from strain theory, immigration-related theories of ethnic identity formation in adolescence, bi-dimensional theories of acculturation, and the rejection-identification model. The study involved 250 adolescents, 140 from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) and 110 from Ethiopia, aged 15 to 18 years ( M = 16.7 years). Adolescents were assessed on substance use (cigarettes, marijuana, binge drinking, drunkenness), delinquent behavior, parental relationships (support, limit setting), perceived discrimination, host identity (Jewish Israeli), and ethnic identity (Russian/Ethiopian). Results from structural equation modeling showed that delinquency was predicted directly by greater discrimination, a weaker ethnic (Russian/Ethiopian) identity, and greater substance (alcohol and cigarette) use. Higher levels of parental limit setting and lower levels of parental support predicted higher levels of substance use, but only predicted delinquency indirectly through their impact on substance use. Findings support the hypotheses that perceived discrimination and a weaker ethnic identity predict involvement in delinquency and partially support a hypothesis that higher levels of a positive host identity are related to lower levels of substance use and delinquency among immigrant adolescents. A perceived lack of equal opportunities may lead to stress, anger, and frustration toward society leading to delinquent behavior, whereas difficulties in consolidating a positive cultural identity may lead the young adolescent to fill a void through substance use.

Perceived social support in adolescents with and without visual impairment

The study assessed perceived availability of support from parents, peers, and teachers in adolescents with and without visual impairment. Adolescents with visual impairment perceived lower levels of parental support but higher levels of support from teachers than sighted adolescents, and these differences remained stable across a 2-year interval. There was considerable heterogeneity within the groups as adolescents with visual impairment were most often found in clusters with high levels as well as low levels of all assessed sources of support. High perceived support from all sources showed positive associations with life-satisfaction of adolescents with and without visual impairment. As lower levels of perceived parental support of students with visual impairment were based on students from residential schools, we conclude that measures would be welcomed for improvement of parent-child contacts during the school days.

Can the school context moderate the protective effect of parental support on adolescents’ alcohol trajectories in urban Chicago?

BackgroundResearch explaining school effects on alcohol use is scare. This study examined the interactive effect between family support and school characteristics (size, poverty, and sector) on adolescents’ alcohol use trajectories in Chicago. MethodsLongitudinal and multilevel data were from the Project of Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods and the Common Core of Data (National Center for Educational Statistics). The sample consisted of 2205 adolescents in 558 schools. A three-level hierarchical linear model was used to estimate multilevel growth curve models and school effects on alcohol trajectories. ResultsIn addition to the strong relationship between parental support and alcohol trajectories; the results also found school effects on the average baseline of alcohol use and the rates of change across time. Interestingly, high levels of parental support were more effective in preventing alcohol use in public schools, while adolescents attending private schools with low levels of parental support were more likely to consume alcohol. Similarly, students attending public schools with higher rates of poverty who enjoy higher levels of parental support were less likely to consume alcohol compared to students with lower parental support attending lower rates of schools poverty. ConclusionKey findings highlight the importance of the interaction between parental support and school characteristics meaning that protective factors provided by parents could be reinforced or diminished by the school context.

Transitions to adulthood in urban Kenya

Background: Migration is often intrinsically tied to key adolescent transitions in sub-Saharan Africa. However, while many adolescents move in order to improve their life trajectories, migration may also coincide with new challenges and considerable disruption of family support. Objective: This paper seeks to better understand how migration and associated changes in family support are related to youth’s prospects of finishing secondary school, finding employment, getting married, and initiating child-bearing. Methods: Drawing on detailed life history data from over 600 young men and women in Kisumu, Kenya, we use piecewise exponential survival analysis to examine how migration is related to key transitions to adulthood and how variation in family support moderates these relationships. All analyses are run separately for young men and women. Results: Migration is associated with a sharp decline in parental support and a corresponding rise in reliance on other relatives, partners, or one’s self. For both men and women, migration also frequently coincides with a permanent exodus from school, which cannot be fully explained by changes in family support or transitions into marriage or work. We find strong evidence that young men move to Kisumu to obtain their first jobs and little evidence of subsequent discrimination against male migrants in the labor market. For young women, not only does migration coincide with marriage, but young female migrants also get married and become pregnant at younger ages after they have moved. Conclusions: Adolescent migrants experience significantly lower levels of parental support, are more likely to drop out of school, and make earlier transitions to adult roles, potentially increasing their long-term economic and social vulnerability.

Exposure to violence, student fear, and low academic achievement: African American males in the critical transition to high school

High rates of exposure to violence and poor school outcomes are well established among African American males. In the current study, exposures to violence in the school and neighborhood and parent factors were examined as predictors of school outcomes among a sample of ninth-grade African American males in the critical transition to high school. Spencer's Phenomenological Variant Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) was used to conceptualize individual experiences with violence. This research builds on existing work by examining factors that mediate the relation between violence exposure and school-related outcomes. A structural equation modeling strategy revealed that exposure to violence predicted decreased feelings of safety in the school and neighborhood and lower levels of parental support and involvement in school, which, in turn, was associated with lower student self-esteem and academic success. ► School/neighborhood violence and parent factors were examined. ► Used to predict school outcomes. ► Sample-ninth-grade black males transitioning to high school. ► SEM model predicted decreased feelings of safety at school and neighborhood. ► Low parental support was associated with low student self-esteem and achievement.

Sexual Orientation, Parental Support, and Health During the Transition to Young Adulthood

Some recent studies suggest that sexual minorities may have worse health-related outcomes during adolescence because they report lower levels of family connectedness, a key protective resource. Using data from wave 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 11,153; 50.6% female; mean age = 21.8 years), this study extends prior research on adolescents to young adults. We examine whether lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults report lower levels of parental support than their heterosexual peers and whether differences in parental support help explain why LGB young adults tend to have worse health-related outcomes. We find that lesbian and bisexual women report lower levels of parental support than heterosexual women and that gay men report lower levels of parental support than bisexual and heterosexual men. Compared to heterosexual women, lesbian and bisexual women have higher odds of suicidal thoughts and recent drug use; bisexual women also have higher odds of elevated depressive symptomatology and heavy drinking. Gay men have higher odds of suicidal thoughts than heterosexual men. With the exception of heavy drinking, parental support either partially or fully mediates each of the observed associations. Even though the transition from adolescence to young adulthood is characterized by increased independence from parents, parental support remains an important correlate of health-related outcomes during this stage of life. Sexual minorities report lower levels of parental support during young adulthood, which helps explain why they have worse health-related outcomes. Interventions designed to strengthen relationships between LGB young adults and their parents could lead to a reduction in health disparities related to sexual orientation.

Family Structure Characteristics and Academic Success: Supporting the Work of School Counselors

The family is a child’s primary context for socialization and greatly affects a child’s well-being.Historical contexts show that families have been evolving for centuries due to social and economicfactors, thus resulting in various family structures. A stable, traditional family structure is mostconducive to academic success (Tillman, 2007). Much research has found that children raised in anon-traditional home are at a disadvantage (Astone &amp; McLanahan, 1991; Halpern-Meekin &amp; Tach,2008). The research on the consequences of single-parent families suggests children of single parentfamilies are more likely to be impoverished, to break the law, to abuse drugs, to do poorly in school, tobecome pregnant before the age of twenty, and to have emotional and behavioral problems. Inaddition, these negative effects are not short-term, but carry into adulthood and manifest themselves inproblems in relationships and occupation. However, single-parent families resulting from widowhoodshow less harmful effects than divorced or non-union birth households. Although the presence ofanother adult may bring increased financial and time resources, research indicates children in stepfamiliesmay be at an even greater disadvantage than children residing in stable single-parent homes.Lastly, cohabitating families often create less defined family roles, lower levels of parental support,supervision, and involvement, and greater family conflict (Tillman, 2007).

Reciprocal relationships between symptoms of depression and parental support during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood

This study applies latent growth curve analysis to data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 10,828) and finds that symptoms of depression and social support interact with one another in a dynamic fashion across the transition from adolescence (mean age at Wave 1 = 15.28 years) to young adulthood (mean age at Wave 3 = 21.65 years). Parental support during adolescence is inversely associated with initial symptoms of depression for girls and boys, although adolescent girls with low levels of parental support begin the study period with significantly higher levels of depressive symptomatology than their male counterparts. In addition, adolescents who begin the study period with higher levels of depressive symptomatology report less parental support during young adulthood. Finally, regardless of their initial level of depressive symptoms, girls and boys who experience increased symptoms of depression over time also report lower levels of parental support at the end of the study period.

Depressive Symptoms Among Delinquent Youth: Testing Models of Association with Stress and Support.

The high prevalence of depression among incarcerated youth indicates a need to better understand factors that contribute to depression within this vulnerable subgroup. Previous research in general community samples has suggested that high levels of stress and low levels of parental support are associated with depression in young people, but it is unclear whether or how they might be associated with depression among incarcerated youth who are already vulnerable. Using a sample of 228 adolescents (aged 13-18 years) who were detained in the juvenile justice system, stress and support were modeled as independent main effects and as interactive risk factors in relation to depressive symptoms. More stressful life events and less caregiver support were each independently associated with depressive symptoms, but no evidence was found for the buffering hypothesis in this sample. Stressful life events were more strongly associated with depressive symptoms among boys compared to girls.