Risk and Adversity, Parenting Quality, and Children's Social-Emotional Adjustment in Families Experiencing Homelessness

Madelyn H Labella; Angela J Narayan; Christopher M McCormick; Christopher D Desjardins; Ann S Masten

doi:10.1111/cdev.12894

Risk and Adversity, Parenting Quality, and Children's Social-Emotional Adjustment in Families Experiencing Homelessness

Child Dev. 2019 Jan;90(1):227-244. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12894. Epub 2017 Jul 19.

Authors

Madelyn H Labella¹, Angela J Narayan², Christopher M McCormick³, Christopher D Desjardins¹, Ann S Masten¹

Affiliations

¹ University of Minnesota.
² University of Denver.
³ Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

PMID: 28722182
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12894

Abstract

A multimethod, multi-informant design was used to examine links among sociodemographic risk, family adversity, parenting quality, and child adjustment in families experiencing homelessness. Participants were 245 homeless parents (M_age = 31.0, 63.6% African American) and their 4- to 6-year-old children (48.6% male). Path analyses revealed unique associations by risk domain: Higher sociodemographic risk predicted more externalizing behavior and poorer teacher-child relationships, whereas higher family adversity predicted more internalizing behavior. Parenting quality was positively associated with peer acceptance and buffered effects of family adversity on internalizing symptoms, consistent with a protective effect. Parenting quality was associated with lower externalizing behavior only when sociodemographic risk was below the sample mean. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adult
Adverse Childhood Experiences*
Behavioral Symptoms / psychology*
Child
Child, Preschool
Emotional Adjustment*
Family / psychology*
Female
Humans
Ill-Housed Persons / psychology*
Male
Parenting / psychology
Risk
Social Adjustment*