White Parents Research Articles

Growing up unequal: Objective and subjective economic disparities and authoritarian parenting

BackgroundAlthough there is evidence of economic disparities in parents' financial and time investments in children, little existing empirical work has considered the disparities in authoritarian parenting, a risk for child maltreatment. Similarly, existing research has largely focused on the role of objective markers of socioeconomic status (SES), although perceived subjective social status (SSS) may be equally powerful in shaping disparities in parenting behaviors. DataThis article draws on 30 years of General Social Survey data to examine the association between objective socioeconomic status and subjective social status and parents' endorsement of authoritarian parenting practices. MethodsWe model the association between parents' SES and SSS and approval of authoritarian parenting practices estimated with odds ratios from logistic regressions and examine parental race as a potential moderator. ResultsWe find that SES and SSS are both associated with increased odds of endorsing authoritarian parenting, that SSS-based disparities are independent of SES, and that white parents' parenting may be more influenced by both SES and SSS than Black parents' parenting. ConclusionsThis work provides evidence that SES not only drives gaps in parental investments in children, but also gaps in their endorsement of authoritarian parenting. This is important because authoritarian parenting is not only directly associated with adverse outcomes for children, but is also associated with an increased risk for child maltreatment. It also expands the existing literature by showing that subjective measures of social status are important and distinct from objective measures of SES, and that these associations vary by race.

Relations between Subdomains of Home Math Activities and Corresponding Math Skills in 4-Year-Old Children

Most studies on the subject have investigated relations between home math activities and child math skills, without paying much attention to the specific skills that such activities foster and their alignment with children’s math assessments. The present study examined specific relations between subdomains of home math activities and children’s corresponding math skills (e.g., home counting/cardinality activities related to children’s counting/cardinality skills). Participants were 78 mostly middle-income, White parents and their four-year-old children (M age = 53.19 months; 45% girls). Parents completed a 24-item survey about the frequency of home activities supporting five subdomains of math: counting/cardinality, set comparison, number identification, adding/subtracting, and patterning. Children’s skills in these same five subdomains were assessed using the Preschool Early Numeracy Scale (PENS) and the Early Patterning Assessment. Specific relations were observed in set comparison, adding/subtracting, and patterning, such that higher frequency of home activities in these subdomains related to advanced child math skills in the corresponding subdomains. No specific relations were found in counting/cardinality and number identification. Overall home math activities averaged across the five math subdomains positively related to children’s overall math skills. Findings highlight the importance of engagement in specific math activities in the home environment and their significance for corresponding child math development.

Pediatric Otolaryngology During COVID-19: Parental Concern About Elective Surgery.

To identify the concerns of parents whose children may need elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020, parents of pediatric otolaryngology patients were recruited for a survey about concerns related to elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Likert scale quantified concern. The 1 was anchored "Not at all important" and 5 was "Most important." Demographics included gender, age, race, education level, number of children in household, and whether their child had surgery since March 2020. About 253 participants were included. Medians ranged from 1 for concerns about emotional and family support to 4 for concerns about their child being exposed to COVID-19 in the Emergency Room. Black parents were more concerned about the risks of COVID than White parents; they were more concerned about their child contracting COVID-19 during surgery compared to White parents, median was 4 versus 3 (P = .027). Black parents had a median score of 3 for concern about medical expenses compared to a median of 2 (P = .001). Parents of children who had surgery since March 2020 had less concern about their child being exposed to COVID-19 during hospitalization (P = .045) and less concern about critique from others (P = .024). Parents were most concerned about the risk of seeking Emergency Room care. Black parents were generally more concerned about having their child undergo elective surgery. Whether this is translated into fewer Black children undergoing important but elective surgery requires more study.

Podcast Review: Nice White Parents

Podcast Review: <i>Nice White Parents</i>

Parental Race/Ethnicity and Children's Summer Activities: A Critical Race Approach.

Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (N = 3,748), we examine how children's summer activities vary across White, Black, Latino, and Asian American families, net of socioeconomic and other characteristics. Overall, a majority of children play outside and use screen media daily, do learning activities three days or more per week, and take family trips. Attending summer school or camps is less common. As predicted from critical race perspectives, Black parents have children spend more time attending camps than other parents. Compared with White parents, Black and Asian parents have their children engaged in academic activities more and play outside less; Latino parents do learning activities with their children less, but are more likely to have them tutored. All the three non-White groups allow children to spend more time using screen media. More quantitative research using critical race perspectives in conceptualizing racial/ethnic differences in parenting is warranted.

Conversations about race in Black and White US families: Before and after George Floyd’s death

Research has shown that Black parents are more likely than White parents to have conversations about race with their children, but few studies have directly compared the frequency and content of these conversations and how they change in response to national events. Here we examine such conversations in the United States before and after the killing of George Floyd. Black parents had conversations more often than White parents, and they had more frequent conversations post-Floyd. White parents remained mostly unchanged and, if anything, were less likely to talk about being White and more likely to send colorblind messages. Black parents were also more worried than White parents-both that their children would experience racial bias and that their children would perpetrate racial bias, a finding that held both pre- and post-Floyd. Thus, even in the midst of a national moment on race, White parents remained relatively silent and unconcerned about the topic.

“In My Heart, I Am Cambodian”: Symbolic Ethnicity among Parents Who Adopt Transracially

Research finds that white Americans primarily draw upon ancestral ties to assert symbolic ethnicity, often relying on figurative elements to create identity. Through 47 interviews with 56 white adoptive parents, who attend culture camps, the authors find a new avenue through which whites may exercise their ethnic options: domestic and transnational transracial adoption. Drawing on their experience of parenting transracially adopted children, we find that some adoptive parents claim identification as members of their adopted children’s racial and/or ethnic group. In explaining their newly acquired ethnicity, we identify three discursive strategies deployed by adoptive parents—cultural integration, transformative inclusion, and racial diffusion. While adoption of their child’s racial and/or ethnic group identification may seem unexpected, it allows for the reframing of parents’ identity, creates notions of shared racial experience, and deepens commitment to symbolic elements. These findings have implications for contemporary understandings of white Americans’ symbolic ethnicity.

Conversations about race in Black and White US families: Before and after George Floyd’s death

Research has shown that Black parents are more likely than White parents to have conversations about race with their children, but few studies have directly compared the frequency and content of these conversations and how they change in response to national events. Here we examine such conversations in the United States before and after the killing of George Floyd. Black parents had conversations more often than White parents, and they had more frequent conversations post-Floyd. White parents remained mostly unchanged and, if anything, were less likely to talk about being White and more likely to send colorblind messages. Black parents were also more worried than White parents-both that their children would experience racial bias and that their children would perpetrate racial bias, a finding that held both pre- and post-Floyd. Thus, even in the midst of a national moment on race, White parents remained relatively silent and unconcerned about the topic.

Parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for children: vulnerability in an urban hotspot

ObjectiveTo compare hesitancy toward a future COVID-19 vaccine for children of various sociodemographic groups in a major metropolitan area, and to understand how parents obtain information about COVID-19.MethodsCross-sectional online survey of parents with children < 18 years old in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois, in June 2020. We used logistic regression to determine the odds of parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH) for racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, controlling for sociodemographic factors and the sources where parents obtain information regarding COVID-19.ResultsSurveys were received from 1702 parents and 1425 were included in analyses. Overall, 33% of parents reported VH for their child. COVID-19 VH was higher among non-Hispanic Black parents compared with non-Hispanic White parents (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.65, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): (1.99–3.53), parents of publicly insured children compared with privately insured (OR 1.93, (1.53–2.42)) and among lower income groups. Parents receive information about COVID-19 from a variety of sources, and those who report using family, internet and health care providers as information sources (compared to those who don’t use each respective source) had lower odds of COVID-19 VH for their children.ConclusionsThe highest rates of hesitancy toward a future COVID-19 vaccine were found in demographic groups that have been the most severely affected by the pandemic. These groups may require targeted outreach efforts from trusted sources of information in order to promote equitable uptake of a future COVID-19 vaccine.

The geography of ethnoracial low birth weight inequalities in the United States

In this article, we describe, decompose, and examine correlates of the geography of ethnoracial inequalities in low birth weight (LBW) in the United States. Drawing on the population of singleton births to U.S.-born White, Black, Latinx, and Native American parents in the first decade of the twenty-first century (N = 28.2 million births), we calculate county-level LBW rates and rate ratios. Results demonstrate a stark racial hierarchy in which Black infants experience the most significant disadvantage, but we also document substantial local-level variation organized in what we call a regionalized patchwork of inequality, with high-disparity counties bordering low-disparity counties coupled with regional clustering. Examining the component parts of local disparities – the LBW rates for Whites and groups of color - we find strong evidence that spatial variation in ethnoracial LBW inequalities is driven by greater variation in infants of color's health across counties relative to Whites. Further, LBW rates for groups of color are only weakly to moderately correlated with Whites' LBW rates, indicating that the same contexts can produce racially divergent health outcomes. Examining contextual factors that predict LBW disparities, we find that more segregated, socioeconomically unequal, and urban counties have larger LBW disparities. We conclude by positing an approach to health disparities that conceptualizes ethnoracial differences in health as fundamentally relational and spatial phenomena produced by systems of White advantage.

Relational–Cultural Theory: A Supportive Framework for Transracial Adoptive Families

Transracially adopted children and adolescents are subject to increased risks to their mental health and identity development as a result of racism and microaggressions. The risks are exacerbated by limited racial–ethnic socialization from their mostly White adoptive parents. This article reviews the history of transracial adoption in the United States through the lens of colonization, describes research related to racism and its impact on transracially adopted children, and recommends relational–cultural theory as a supportive framework for school, mental health, and family counselors.

"When will it be over?" U.S. children's questions and parents' responses about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parent-child conversations are important for children's cognitive development, children's ability to cope with stressful events, and can shape children's beliefs about the causes of illness. In the context of a global pandemic, families have faced a multitude of challenges, including changes to their routines, that they need to convey to their children. Thus, parent-child conversations about the coronavirus pandemic might convey information about the causes of illness, but also about how and why it is necessary for children to modify their behaviors to comply with new social norms and medical guidance. The main goal of this study was to examine the questions children ask about the COVID-19 pandemic and how parents answer them. This survey included responses from a national sample of 349 predominantly white parents of children between the ages of 3 and 12 recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk in United States. Parents reported that although children asked about COVID-19 and its causes (17.3%), children asked primarily about lifestyle changes that occurred as a result of the pandemic (24.0%) and safety (18.4%). Parents reported answering these questions by emphasizing that the purpose of different preventative measures was to protect the child (11.8%) or the family (42.7%) and providing reassurance (13.3%). Many parents discussed how it was their social responsibility to slow the spread of the virus (38.4%). Parents of younger children tended to shield them from information about COVID-19 (p = .038), while parents with more knowledge were more likely to provide explanations (p < .001). Our analysis shows that families not only discuss information about the virus but also information about changes to their lifestyle, preventative measures, and social norms.

KARAMUNTING (Melastoma malabathricum) EXTRACTS ON WHITE SHRIMP (Litopenaeus vannamei) MATURITY

Lanosterol is a phytosterol that is used by crustacea to form animal steroid hormone that plays a role in the reproduction of the shrimp. This research aims to determine the response of ovary development in white shrimp parent after given Karamunting ethanol extract. This research was carried out in several stages: 1. Injecting the white shrimp every 3 days, at the base of the 5th leg, for 15 days with variable control dose 0 (C), 10 mg / kg BW (T1), 7.5 mg / kg BW (T2), 5 mg / kg BW (T3), 2 mg / kg BW (T4) and 1 mg / kg BW (T5), (2). Isolation of white shrimp parent ovary, (3). Measurement of progesterone level in the ovary using the Radioimmunoassay (RIA) method, (4) Histology of white shrimp parent ovary, and (5). Data analysis. The statistical results of measuring the increase in progesterone showed that administration of ethanol extract of karamunting at the end of maintenance had a significant difference (P˂0.05). Histology observations of gonadal development in control, T5 and T4 showed cells to develop to previtellogenesis oocytes whereas in treatment T1, T2 and T3 ovary cells developed into endogenous vitellogenesis oocytes and only in T1 ovarian cells developed to form exogenous vitellogenesis oocytes.  Statistical results of oocyte size after administration of the karamunting extract at the end of maintenance were significantly different (P˂0.05). The average oocyte size at the beginning of maintenance (15.57 ± 3.15 µm), C (25.29 ± 2.69 µm) indicating that at the end of the ovarian treatment development occurred both in control and treatment. T1 (65.65 ± 2.64 µm), T2 (63.98 ± 3.06 µm), T3 (39.12 ± 6.01 µm), T4 (28.08 ± 0.84 µm) and T5 (27.65 ± 0.71 µm) also appear to be greater than the oocyte size at the beginning of maintenance and control. Based on the results of this study it can be concluded that the content of lanosterol in karamunting plants can increase the hormone progesterone which indicates an acceleration of gonadal maturity and enlargement of oocyte size in the parent shrimp of White shrimp.

Childhood Experiences and Attitudes toward Corporal Punishment: The Mediating Role of Perceived Efficacy of Alternative Discipline Strategies among Low-income Black, Hispanic, and White Parents.

Corporal punishment (CP) is associated with harmful outcomes to child development. Favorable attitudes toward CP are a major predictor of CP use. Thus, identifying and changing factors influencing such attitudes help to prevent CP. Although research has confirmed the effect of childhood experiences of CP on attitudes toward CP, few studies have examined mechanisms underpinning this association. To fill this gap, this study investigated the role of perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies in mediating the association between childhood experiences of CP and attitudes toward CP among low-income Black, Hispanic, and White parents. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 230 parents (Mage = 31; Black = 62, Hispanic = 62; White = 106). Structural equation modeling results revealed that more positive childhood experiences of CP were associated with lower perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies. In turn, lower perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies was associated with more favorable attitudes toward CP. Mediation analysis performed by the bootstrapping methods confirmed the mediating effect of perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies. When race was considered, this mediation pathway was held for Hispanic and White parent groups. These results suggested that future research should pay more attention to the role of perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies. Additionally, public education campaigns should consider incorporating efficacy messages to effectively reduce positive attitudes toward CP among low-income parents.

Racial differences in HPV vaccine uptake based on provider recommendations

<h3>Objectives:</h3> The purpose this study was to evaluate racial differences in HPV vaccine uptake and the impact of healthcare providers' recommendations on parents' decision to vaccinate their children. <h3>Methods:</h3> This was a population-based survey in rural Alabama (Escambia County) in 2019. A 16-page questionnaire was developed based on questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and other sources. Specific focus was placed on HPV vaccine uptake and healthcare access. Participants included parents with at least one child between the ages of 9 and 18 and were recruited proportionally from the nine Census Tract regions in the county. The questionnaire was anonymous and participation was voluntary. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.25. <h3>Results:</h3> A total 329 individuals were interviewed with 151 non-Hispanic Whites and 178 non-Hispanic Blacks included. Other ethnicities and races were not included and comprised <10.0% of patients. 39.7% of White parents and 41.0% of Black parents had been advised by a healthcare provider to have their child vaccinated against HPV. There was no difference between groups if they were ever advised to get the HPV vaccine (p=0.2). The provider's recommendations were largely the same for both groups, but Black parents compared to White parents were significantly more likely to report that the healthcare provider explicitly said that their child should get the vaccine (76.7% vs 48.3%; p=0.001). Black parents compared to White parents were significantly more likely to follow their child's provider's recommendation and get their child vaccinated that day or schedule it based on the recommendations (68.4% vs. 84.9%; p=0.02). Black parents were also significantly more likely to get the impression that it was urgent to get their child vaccinated than White parents (p=0.004). While the majority of parents in both groups got the impression that the vaccine was important, 76.7% of White and 61.6% of Black parents got the impression that it was optional. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Recommendations for getting children vaccinated against HPV is still low in Alabama. Black parents were more likely than White parents to get the impression from their provider that the HPV vaccine was urgent and that they should get their child vaccinated. A large portion of both groups of parents also got the impression that the vaccine was optional. It is imperative that healthcare providers continue to counsel parents on HPV vaccination and encourage the importance of it in order to increase uptake.

“I Wanted Diversity, But Not So Much”: Middle-Class White Parents, School Choice, and the Persistence of Anti-Black Stereotypes

This interview study examines the school choices of white middle class parents who live in a large Northeastern city. Interviewees identify as progressive urbanites and express an appreciation for racial diversity. Simultaneously, interviewees draw on anti-Black stereotypes when evaluating school options and avoiding majority Black schools. While previous studies suggest that diversity-seeking whites are well intentioned and inadvertently reproduce racism through school choice, my analysis allows for greater consideration of white parents’ investment in the reproduction of white racial dominance.

Perceptions of Arguments in Support of Policies to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption Among Low-Income White, Black and Latinx Parents of Young Children.

Purpose:To test for racial/ethnic differences in perceived argument strength in favor of structural interventions to curb childhood obesity among lower-income parents of young children.Design:Cross-sectional, self-report.Setting:Online research panel, national sample of 1485 US adults in Fall 2019.Participants:Parents of children (age 0-5 years) with an annual income <$40,000, stratified by White, Black and/or Latinx race/ethnicity.Measures:SSB consumption, policy support, and strength of arguments in favor of marketing restrictions and a penny-per-ounce tax.Analysis:Descriptive statistics, multivariable OLS models.Results:Race/ethnicity was not a significant predictor of the perceived strength of a composite of marketing arguments (pBlack = 0.07; pLatinx = 0.10), however it was a significant predictor of the perceived strength of tax arguments (pBlack = 0.01; pLatinx = 0.01). Perceptions of strength of 12 of 35 discrete SSB tax arguments differed by race/ethnicity (p < .05). Arguments regarding industry targeting of Black children (marketing: pBlack < .001; pLatinx = .001; tax: pBlack < .001; pLatinx = .001), were particularly demonstrative of this difference. In contrast, arguments that these policies would provide support for parents (marketing: pBlack = 0.20; pLatinx = 0.84) and communities (tax: pBlack = 0.24; pLatinx = 0.58) were seen as strong arguments across groups.Conclusions:Black and Hispanic/Latinx parents may be more prepared to move toward SSB policy support than white parents. Emphasizing community benefits of policy may be effective in moving constituents toward policy support across groups.

Intonation and Referee Design Phenomena in the Narrative Speech of Black/Biracial Men

This study examines how men with one Black parent and one white parent variably construct their racial identities through both linguistic practice and explicit testimonials, with a specific focus on how this construction is realized in narratives about law enforcement. The data consist of interviews with five young men, aged 18-32, in Washington, D.C., and the analysis compares use of intonational phenomena associated with African American Language (AAL) in response to questions about aspects of their racial identities. Declarative intonational phrases from responses to questions were MAE-ToBi annotated and analyzed for use of intonational features subject to racialized stylistic variation, including use of L+H* versus H*, focus marking, and peak delay interval length. Results of multiple regression models indicate speakers avoid intonational features associated with AAL in police narratives, especially L+H* pitch accents with broad focus marking and longer peak delay intervals. These findings illuminate an important aspect of the relationship between linguistic performance and identity: both racial and linguistic identities are subject to topic and audience/referee-conditioned variation and individuals can use specific intonational variables to align themselves within specific audience and topic-influenced constraints. In the context of police narratives, avoidance of salient features of AAL intonation can serve as linguistic respectability politics; these speakers have motivation to employ linguistic behavior that distances them from the most societally and physically precarious implications of their identities.

Nice White Parents Hosted by Chana Joffe-Walt Serial Productions podcasts and The New York Times. 2020. 6 episodes.

Nice White Parents Hosted by Chana Joffe-Walt Serial Productions podcasts and The New York Times. 2020. 6 episodes.

Socialization of racial ideology by White parents.

Objectives: The ways that White American parents socialize their children to think about and interact with racial out-groups are not well understood. The goals of this study were to explore the degree to which White parents endorse contradictory racial ideologies, and the reasons behind the presence versus absence of parent-child discussions of race-related current events (e.g., Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, or the Charleston church shooting). Method: We recruited a sample of White parents of children ages 8-12 on Amazon MechanicalTurk (N = 165, 66.1% female, M-age = 36.67) and applied a qualitative thematic analysis to their answers to open-ended probes regarding racial discussions with their children. Results: Results revealed both color-blind and color-conscious racial ideology communicated by White parents. Thirty-seven percent of White parents endorsed a mixture of color-blind and color-conscious ideology. The majority of parents did not discuss race-related current events with their children; many believed these discussions were either too negative or unnecessary. Conclusions: The results indicate that White parents have the potential to be agents of change that socialize color-conscious beliefs in their children, but many are reinforcing the current system of color-blind indifference to racial inequality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).