UNDERSTANDING PARENTING STRESS AND CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AMONG HOMELESS, SUBSTANCE-ABUSING MOTHERS

Abstract

This article tested a model of parenting stress as a mediator between maternal depressive symptoms, emotion regulation, and child behavior problems using a sample of homeless, substance-abusing mothers. Participants were 119 homeless mothers (ages 18-24 years) and their young children (ages 0-6 years). Mothers responded to questions about their depressive symptoms, emotion regulation, parenting stress, and child behavior problems. A path analysis showed that maternal depressive symptoms were positively associated with child behavior problems through increased parenting stress whereas maternal cognitive reappraisal was negatively associated with child behavior problems through decreased parenting stress. Moreover, maternal expressive suppression was negatively related to child externalizing problems. Findings support the parenting stress theory and highlight maternal parenting stress as a mechanism associated with homeless children's mental health risk. This study has significant implications for understanding the parenting processes underlying child's resilience in the context of homelessness and maternal substance use.

Keywords: Erziehungsstress; Substanzmissbrauch; Verhaltensprobleme; behavior problems; depressive Symptome; depressive symptoms; estrés de la crianza; homeless mothers; madres sin hogar; mères sans abri; obdachlose Mütter; parenting stress; problemas de comportamiento; problèmes de comportement; stress de parentage; substance use; symptômes dépressifs; síntomas depresivos; toxicomanie; uso de sustancias; الأمهات المشردات ؛ الإجهاد الوالدي ؛ اعراض الاكتئاب ؛ مشاكل السلوك; تعاطي المواد المخدرة; ホームレスの母親; 使用藥物。; 抑うつ症状; 抑鬱症狀; 無家可歸的母親; 物質使用; 育児ストレス; 育兒壓力; 行動問題; 行為問題.

Figure 1

A conceptual model of the current study.

Figure 2

The path model. Note. * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001. Covariates: child sex, child age, maternal age, race, maternal education. Child sex: female = 0 male = 1. Maternal race: 0 = White and other, 1 = Black.