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. 2021 Dec;43(4):766-777.
doi: 10.1007/s10862-021-09888-x. Epub 2021 Apr 28.

Who Looks on the Bright Side? Expectations of Low-Income Parents with a Disruptive Young Child

Alexandra D W Sullivan  1 , Kat L Wright  2 , Nicole Breslend  1 , April Highlander  3 , Rex Forehand  1 , Deborah J Jones  3
Affiliations

Who Looks on the Bright Side? Expectations of Low-Income Parents with a Disruptive Young Child

Alexandra D W Sullivan et al. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Low-income parents are more likely to have a child with disruptive behaviors. Furthermore, these parents are likely to struggle with low expectations about the future, which can interfere with treatment response to even the most effective treatments. The purpose of this study was to explore correlates of low-income parents' expectations, specifically hopelessness and optimism, in families with clinic-referred disruptive young children. Using baseline data from an intervention trial (Jones et al., 2021), we used a multi-informant approach to test whether parenting behaviors, child misbehavior, and parental daily stressors were related to parent hopelessness and optimism. Results based on the Everyday Stress Index indicated that only daily stressors, particularly those related to relationships and responsibilities, were related to parent feelings of hopelessness and optimism. Results were interpreted through transactional and ecological systems theories, particularly the Family Stress Model (Conger & Conger, 2002), as well as a low-income parent's self-efficacy as a caregiver. Clinical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Child disruptive behaviors; Low income; Parent expectations; Parenting; Stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest Alexandra D. W. Sullivan, Kat L. Wright, Nicole Breslend, April Highlander, Rex Forehand and Deborah J. Jones have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The Relationship of Each Block of Independent Variables with Hopelessness and Optimism after Controlling for Child and Parent Demographic Characteristics. Note: Solid lines indicate that R2 Δ was significant at p ≤ .002. Under the Daily Stress block, only the Relationships/Responsibilities factor was significantly related to outcomes
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