Abstract
Association of socially demanding kin relations, mother’s emotional support, behavioral control/monitoring, family organization and psychological control with adolescent’s internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed in 200 economically disadvantaged, African American mothers and adolescents. Demanding kin relations and mother’s psychological control were positively associated with adolescent’s internalizing problems. Demanding kin relations also moderated the association of control/monitoring, family organization, and psychological control, with internalizing. For mothers with more demanding kin relations, increased control/monitoring was associated with increased adolescent internalizing. In comparison, increased control/monitoring was associated with decreased adolescent internalizing for mothers with less demanding kin relations. Negative association of family organization with internalizing was more apparent for mothers with more compared to less demanding kin relations. Positive association of mother’s psychological control with internalizing was more apparent for mothers with more compared to less socially demanding kin relations. Demanding kin relations and mother’s psychological control were positively associated with adolescent’s externalizing problems. Mother’s emotional support and family organization were negatively associated with externalizing. Also, negative association of family organization with externalizing was more apparent for families with more compared to less demanding kin relations. The need for research on the factors associated with negative relation with kin was discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Aschenbrenner, J. (1975). Lifelines: Black families in Chicago. New York: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston.
Baron, R. M., & Kenney, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.
Bean, R. A., Barber, B. K., & Crane, R. D. (2006). Parental support, behavioral control and psychological control among African American youth: The relationships to academic grades, delinquency and depression. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 1335–1355.
Bradley, R. H., & Caldwell, B. M. (1976). Early home environment and changes in mental test performance in children from 6 to 36 months. Developmental Psychology, 12, 93–97.
Brody, G. H., Beach, S. R. H., Philibert, R. A., Chen, Y.-f., Lei, M.-K., Murry, V. M., et al. (2009). Parenting moderates a genetic vulnerability factor in longitudinal increases in youths’ substance use. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 1–11.
Brody, G. H., & Flor, D. (1997). Maternal psychological functioning, family processes, and child adjustment in rural, single-parent, African American families. Developmental Psychology, 33, 1000–1011.
Brody, G. H., McBride, V., Kim, S., & Brown, A. C. (2002). Longitudinal pathways to competence and psychological adjustment among African-American children living in rural single-parent households. Child Development, 73, 1505–1516.
Brody, G. H., Stoneman, Z., & Flor, D. (1996). Parental religiosity, family processes, and youth competence in rural, two-parent African American families. Developmental Psychology, 32, 696–706.
Budescu, M., Taylor, R. D., & McGill, R. K. (in press). Stress and African American women’s smoking/drinking to cope: Moderating effects of kin social support. Journal of Black Psychology.
Bullers, S. (2000). The mediating role of perceived control in the relationship between social ties and depressive symptoms. Women and Health, 31, 97–116.
Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. C. (2002). Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73, 1310–1321.
Choi, H., & Marks, N. F. (2006). Transition to caregiving, marital disagreement, and psychological well-being: A prospective US national study. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 1701–1722.
Clark, R. M. (1983). Family life and school achievement: Why poor black children succeed or fail. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Cramer, J. C., & McDonald, K. B. (1996). Kin support and family stress: Two sides to early childbearing and support networks. Human Organization, 55, 160–169.
Cranford, J. A. (2004). Stress-buffering or stress-exacerbation? Social support and social undermining as moderators of the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms among married people. Personal Relationships, 11, 23–40.
Crawford, A., & Manassis, K. (2001). Familial predictors of treatment outcome in childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1182–1189.
Cui, M., & Conger, R. D. (2008). Parenting behavior as mediator and moderator of the association between marital problems and adolescent maladjustment. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18, 261–284.
Cui, M., Conger, R. D., & Lorenz, F. O. (2005). Predicting change in adolescent adjustment from change in marital problems. Developmental Psychology, 41, 812–823.
DeNavas-Walt, C., Proctor, B. D., & Smith, J. (2008). Income, poverty and health Insurance coverage. In Current population reports, pp 60–233. U.S. Census Bureau, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
Dressler, W. (1985). Extended family relationships, social support, and mental health in a southern black community. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 26, 39–48.
Durden, E. D., Hill, T. D., & Angel, R. J. (2007). Social demands, social supports and psychological distress among low income women. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 343–361.
Finch, J. F., Okun, M. A., Pool, G. J., & Ruehlman, L. S. (1999). A comparison of the influence of conflictual and supportive social interactions on psychological distress. Journal of Personality, 67, 581–621.
García Coll, C. T., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H. P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B. H., et al. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67, 1891–1914.
Gaylord-Harden, N. K., Campbell, C. L., & Kesselring, C. M. (2010). Maternal parenting behaviors and coping in African American children: The influence of gender and stress. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 579–587.
Gerstel, N., & Gallagher, S. K. (1993). Kin keeping and distress: Gender, recipients of care and work-family conflict. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 598–607.
Ghazarian, S. R., & Roche, K. M. (2010). Social support and low-income, urban Mothers: Longitudinal associations with adolescent delinquency. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1097–1108.
Gray, B. A., & Keith, V. (2003). The benefits and costs of social support for African American women. In D. R. Brown & V. M. Keith (Eds.), In and out of our right minds: African American women and mental health (pp. 242–257). New York: Columbia University Press.
Grych, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (1990). Marital conflict and children’s adjustment: A cognitive-contextual framework. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 267–290.
Gutman, L. M., McLoyd, V. C., & Tokoyama, T. (2005). Financial strain, neighborhood stress, parenting behaviors and adolescent adjustment in urban African American families. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 15, 425–449.
Hardy, D. F., Power, T. G., & Jaedicke, S. (1993). Examining the relation of parenting to children’s coping with everyday stress. Child Development, 64, 1829–1841.
Horowitz, A., McLaughlin, J., & White, H. R. (1998). How the negative and positive aspects of partner relationships affect the mental health of young married people. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 39, 124–136.
Ingersoll-Dayton, B., Morgan, D., & Antonucci, T. C. (1997). The effects of positive and negative social exchanges on aging adults. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 52B, S190–S199.
Jensen, E. W., James, S. A., Boyce, W. T., & Hartnett, S. A. (1983). The family routines inventory: Development and validation. Social Science and Medicine, 17, 201–211.
Jones, D. J., Forehand, R., Rakow, A., Colleti, C. J. M., McKee, L., & Zalot, A. (2008). The specificity of maternal parenting behavior and child adjustment difficulties: A study of Inner-city African American families. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 181–192.
Karver, M. S. (2006). Determinants of multiple informant agreement on child and adolescent behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 242–253.
Koblinsky, S. A., Kuvalanka, K. A., & Randolf, S. M. (2006). Social skills and behavior problems of urban African American preschoolers: Role of parenting practices, family conflict and maternal depression. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76, 554–563.
Kogan, S. M., & Brody, G. H. (2010). Linking parenting and informal mentor processes to depressive symptoms among rural African American young adult men. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 299–306.
Lamborn, S. D., & Nguyen, D. G. (2004). African American adolescents’ perceptions of family interactions: Kinship support, parent-child relationships, and teen adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 547–559.
Lanza, I. H., & Taylor, R. D. (2010). Parenting in moderation: Family routine moderates the relation between school engagement and delinquent behaviors among African American adolescents. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 540–547.
Lincoln, K. D., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J. (2007). Profiles of depressive symptoms among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. Social Science and Medicine, 65, 200–213.
Manne, S. L., Taylor, K. L., Dougherty, J., & Kemeny, N. (1997). Supportive and negative responses in the partner relationship: Their association with psychological adjustment among individuals with cancer. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 101–125.
Mason, C. M., Cauce, A. M., Gonzales, N., & Hiraga, Y. (1996). Neither too sweet nor too sour: Problem peers, maternal control and problem behavior in African American adolescents. Child Development, 67, 2115–2130.
McAdoo, H. (1978). Factors related to stability in upwardly mobile black families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 40, 761–776.
McAdoo, H. (1982). Stress absorbing systems in black families. Family Relations, 31, 479–488.
McLoyd, V. C. (1990). The impact of economic hardship on black families and children: Psychological distress, parenting, and socioemotional development. Child Development, 61, 311–346.
McLoyd, V. C., Jayaratne, T. E., Ceballo, R., & Borquez, J. (1994). Unemployment and work interruption among African American single mothers: Effects on parenting and adolescent socioemotional functioning. Child Development, 65, 562–589.
McLoyd, V. C., Toyokawa, T., & Kaplan, R. (2008). Work demands, work-family conflict and child adjustment in African American families: The mediating role of family routine. Journal of Family Issues, 29, 1247–1267.
Okun, M. A., & Keith, V. M. (1998). Effects of positive and negative social exchanges with various sources on depressive symptoms in younger and older adults. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 53B, 4–20.
Pallock, L., & Lamborn, S. (2006). Beyond parenting practices: Extended kinship and the academic adjustment of African American and European American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 813–828.
Pittman, L. D., & Chase-Lansdale, L. P. (2001). African American adolescent girls in impoverished communities: Parenting style and adolescent outcomes. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11, 199–224.
Prelow, H. M., Bowman, M. A., & Weaver, S. R. (2007). Predictors of psychosocial well-being in urban African American and European American youth: The role of ecological factors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 543–553.
Quay, H. C. & Peterson, D. R. (1987). Manual for the revised behavior problem checklist, Unpublished manuscript, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL.
Roche, K. M., & Leventhal, T. (2009). Beyond neighborhood poverty: Family management, neighborhood disorder, and adolescents’ early sexual onset. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 819–827.
Rogers, K. N., Buchanan, C. M., & Winchell, M. E. (2003). Psychological control during early adolescence: Links to adjustment in differing parent/adolescent dyads. Journal of Early Adolescence, 23, 349–383.
Rook, K. S. (1984). The negative side of social interaction: Impact on psychological well- being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1097–1108.
Ruelman, L. S., & Karoly, P. (1991). With a little flak from my friends: Development and preliminary validation of the test of negative social exchange. Psychological Assessment, 3, 97–104.
Schludermann, E., & Schludermann, S. (1977). Replicability of factors in children’s report of parent behavior (CRPBI). Journal of Psychology, 96, 15–23.
Spector, P. E. (2006). Method variance in organizational research: Truth or urban legend? Organizational Research Methods, 9, 221–232.
Stack, C. (1974). All My Kin: Strategies of survival in a black community. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Swindle, R., Heller, K., & Frank, M. (2000). Differentiating the effects of positive negative social transactions in HIV illness. Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 35–50.
Taylor, R. D. (1996). Kinship support, family management, and adolescent adjustment and competence in African-American families. Developmental Psychology, 32, 687–695.
Taylor, R. D. (2011). Kin support and parenting practices among low income African American mothers: Moderating effects of mothers’ psychological adjustment. Journal of Black Psychology, 37, 3–23.
Taylor, R. D., Casten, R., & Flickinger, S. (1993). The influence kinship social support on the parenting experiences and psychological adjustment of African-American adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 29, 382–388.
Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., & Celious, A. (2003). Extended family households among Black Americans. African American Research Perspectives, 1, 133–151.
Taylor, R. D., & Lopez, E. I. (2005). Family management practice, school achievement and problem behavior in African-American adolescents: Mediating processes. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 39–49.
Taylor, R. D., & Roberts, D. (1995). Kinship support and parental and adolescent well being in economically disadvantaged African American families. Child Development, 66, 1585–1597.
Taylor, R. D., Seaton, E., & Dominguez, A. (2008). Kinship support, family relations and psychological adjustment among low-income African-American mothers and adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18, 1–22.
Taylor, R. D., Seaton, E., Dominguez, A., & Rodriguez, A. U. (2004). The association of financial resources with parenting and adolescent adjustment in African-American families. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19, 267–283.
U. S. Department of Labor. (2010). The employment situation, January 2010. Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Vazsonyi, A. T., Pickering, L. E., & Bolland, J. M. (2006). Growing up in a dangerous developmental milieu: The effects of parenting processes on adjustment in inner- city African American adolescents. Journal of Community Psychology, 34, 47–73.
Vinokur, A. D., & van Ryn, M. (1993). Social support and undermining in close relationships: Their independent effects on the mental health of unemployed persons. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 350–359.
Walker-Barnes, C. J., & Mason, C. A. (2001). Ethnic differences in the effect of parenting on gang involvement and gang delinquency: A longitudinal, hierarchical linear modeling perspective. Child Development, 72, 1814–1831.
Wilson, M. N. (1989). Child development in the context of the black extended family. American Psychologist, 44, 380–385.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taylor, R.D., Lopez, E.I., Budescu, M. et al. Parenting Practices and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Moderating Effects of Socially Demanding Kin Relations. J Child Fam Stud 21, 474–485 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9501-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9501-0