Dispositional optimism: a psychological resource for Mexican-origin mothers experiencing economic stress

Abstract

Dispositional optimism is believed to be an important psychological resource that buffers families against the deleterious consequences of economic adversity. Using data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin families (N = 674), we tested a family stress model specifying that maternal dispositional optimism and economic pressure affect maternal internalizing symptoms, which, in turn, affects parenting behaviors and children's social adjustment. As predicted, maternal optimism and economic pressure had both independent and interactive effects on maternal internalizing symptoms, and the effects of these variables on changes over time in child social adjustment were mediated by nurturant and involved parenting. The findings replicate and extend previous research on single-parent African American families (Taylor, Larsen-Rife, Conger, Widaman, & Cutrona, 2010), and demonstrate the generalizability of the positive benefits of dispositional optimism in another ethnic group and type of family structure.

Figure 1

Statistical model results with interaction effect. χ²(260, N = 674) = 477; CFI = .946; TLI = .935; RMSEA = .036. Only significant paths are shown. ^** p < .01, ^* p < .05 (two-tailed test). Factor loadings (standardized) are all significant (p < .01). Standard errors are shown in parentheses. W1 = wave 1; W2 = wave 2; CM = cannot make ends meet; UN = unmet material needs; FC = financial cutbacks; OPT1 to OPT3 = dispositional optimism indicators; GD = general depression; AD = anhedonic depression; AN = anxiety; NUR1 to NUR3 = nurturant parenting indicators; PAR1 to PAR3 = involved parenting indicators; PC = peer competence; SA = school attachment; TA = teacher attachment. Δ = change in social adjustment (W2 controlling for W1).

Figure 2

Interaction between economic pressure and maternal optimism, predicting mother’s internalizing symptoms (in standard score units). High and low optimism represent scores 1 standard deviation above and below the mean, respectively.