Parenting and Adolescents’ Psychological Adjustment: Longitudinal Moderation by Adolescents’ Genetic Sensitivity

We examined whether adolescents’ genetic sensitivity, measured by a polygenic index score, moderated the longitudinal associations between parenting and adolescents’ psychological adjustment. The sample included 323 mothers, fathers, and adolescents (177 female, 146 male; Time 1 [T1] average age = 12.61 years, SD = 0.54 years; Time 2 [T2] average age = 13.59 years, SD = 0.59 years). Parents’ warmth and hostility were rated by trained, independent observers using videotapes of family discussions. Adolescents reported their symptoms of anxiety, depressed mood, and hostility at T1 and T2. The results from autoregressive linear regression models showed that adolescents’ genetic sensitivity moderated associations between observations of both mothers’ and fathers’ T1 parenting and adolescents’ T2 composite maladjustment, depression, anxiety, and hostility. Compared to adolescents with low genetic sensitivity, adolescents with high genetic sensitivity had worse adjustment outcomes when parenting was low on warmth and high on hostility. When parenting was characterized by high warmth and low hostility, adolescents with high genetic sensitivity had better adjustment outcomes than their counterparts with low genetic sensitivity. The results support the differential susceptibility model and highlight the complex ways that genes and environment interact to influence development

Discrimination, Mental Health, and Coping Among Mexican-American Adults: Exploring Gender Differences

In collaboration with the University of California, Davis, we will analyze existing data from the California Families Project, an ongoing longitudinal study of Mexican origin adults living in Northern California (N = 674). Our first objective is to investigate associations between ethnic discrimination and distress over time. Second, we explore protective factors or sources of support (ethnic pride, perceived support, neighborhood cohesion) that may moderate the association between discrimination and distress over time. Third, we investigate whether there are significant gender differences in levels of discrimination and distress, as well as the associations between discrimination and distress over time. Participant data come from home interviews (survey) over a ten-year period. Our statistical analyses include measurement invariance tests and equality constraints between males and females in structural equation models and testing interaction effects between levels of discrimination and the three hypothesized protective factors. Findings will advance understanding about the mental health outcomes associated with discrimination as well as the factors that promote wellbeing among Mexican origin adults. Data analyses are currently underway and will be completed in early April. Findings may inform future research and theory development, practice, and policy so that the mental health of Mexican origin families can be improved

Stress and Child Development: A Review of the Family Stress Model

In the present report, we provide an illustrative review of the Family Stress Model (FSM) framework1 to understand how family stress influences children across development in physical, social-emotional, and cognitive domains. We note that the FSM as a theory has evolved through inspection of: (a) new explanatory pathways (mediators); (b) factors that moderate FSM pathways; and (c) joint tests of competing models. Also important, most researchers cited in this review used longitudinal designs to test the proposed causal ordering of FSM pathways, which replicated among a diverse set of families varied in structure, ethnic background, and geographic location. We encourage continued FSM scholarship with prevention and intervention efforts in mind

Couple Resilience to Economic Pressure Over Time and Across Generations

Research suggests that economic stress disrupts perceived romantic relationship quality; yet less is known regarding the direct influence of economic stress on negative behavioral exchanges between partners over time. Another intriguing question concerns the degree to which effective problem-solving might protect against this hypothesized association. To address these issues, the authors studied two generations of couples who were assessed approximately 13 years apart (Generation 1: N = 367, Generation 2: N = 311). On average and for both generations, economic pressure predicted relative increases in couples’ hostile, contemptuous, and angry behaviors; however, couples who were highly effective problem solvers experienced no increases in these behaviors in response to economic pressure. Less effective problem solvers experienced the steepest increases in hostile behaviors in response to economic pressure. Because these predictive pathways were replicated in both generations of couples it appears that these stress and resilience processes unfold over time and across generations

An Illustrative Review of Protective Factors That Foster Resilience Among Refugee Populations

Refugees are individuals who involuntarily move from their home due to the exposure of traumatic experiences such as persecution, war, or natural disaster. Our efforts concentrated on the protective factors that promote resilience (or the ability to adapt to challenges) during resettlement, which are investigated less in current empirical literature (Masten, 2018). To guide our endeavor, we searched for relevant key terms (e.g., refugee, protective factors, and resilience) in scholarly databases (e.g., PsycINFO). We found a total of 30 articles: 22 were cross-sectional studies and eight were longitudinal. For this review, we examined protective factors in multiple layers or ecologies, as motivated by the Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), that were linked to positive outcomes for refugees within the individual, among interpersonal relationships, and community support systems. Overall, this review highlights several factors that promote resilience (e.g., religiosity, family dynamics, school connectedness, and social support) despite past trauma and resettlement stress. Findings may inform theory development, as well as programs and policies intended to support refugees during resettlement

Stressors and Supports That Affect Refugee Fathers\u27 Parenting and Their Children\u27s Development

Last year, the United States resettled 22,419 refugees across the country (Refugee Processing Center, 2019). Many of these refugees experience post-migration stress, which can impact their family relationships and overall wellbeing. Although there is current research involving refugees, the role of refugee fathers has been overlooked (Este & Tachble, 2009). Even though fathers typically play a secondary caretaker role in the family, they significantly influence their children\u27s development. We are interested in studying how both the stressors and supports of Congolese fathers impact their parenting and how this influences their children\u27s educational opportunities and social-emotional development. This is a qualitative and quantitative study using previously collected data and a new survey. Participation in this study allows refugee fathers an opportunity to voice their strengths and motivations as a father. Additionally, findings will provide new insight about existing and needed resources that are tailored to the needs of the fathers

The Influence of the Multilingual Student Alliance on Sense of Belonging and Educational Success Among Refugee Background Students

Higher education is a human right proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 26.2); however, refugee background students (RBSs) often face barriers in higher education. These barriers include language difficulties, discrimination, and isolation to name a few (Mangan & Winter, 2017). Although many RBSs and their families place a high value on higher education, these barriers can make it more difficult to obtain a degree and secure employment in their desired field (Stevenson & Willott, 2007). Even further, relative to other student populations, research involving the voices of RBSs in higher education is relatively scarce and desperately needed to inform educational practices and programs (Mangan & Winter, 2017). To address these gaps in the literature, we developed a survey to distribute among leaders and members of a RBS organization on campus -- the Multilingual Student Alliance (MLSA) -- to investigate the degree to which involvement in the alliance is linked to: (a) a sense of campus belonging; (b) overall satisfaction with their university experience; and (c) educational success. Our research provides RBSs an opportunity to voice their experiences on campus and share how a student-led organization like the MLSA can lift students up to their full potential and benefit the whole campus

Dynamic Associations Among Socioeconomic Status (SES), Parenting Investments, and Conscientiousness Across Time and Generations

Building on recommendations from several of the articles in the special section on conscientiousness in the June 2014 issue of Developmental Psychology, the present study tested predictions from the interactionist model (IM) of socioeconomic influences on individual development. In an approach consistent with the idea of cumulative advantage, the model proposed that adolescent and child conscientiousness would be fostered by higher family socioeconomic status (SES) and the parenting and material investments that SES promotes. The IM also predicted a transactional process in which adolescent conscientiousness would promote future socioeconomic success which, in turn, would foster greater adult conscientiousness. Analyses with a cohort of 347 adolescents followed for over 20 years were largely consistent with these predictions, although the findings suggested some modifications to the IM, including the addition of a stronger direct role for family processes in eventual social and economic outcomes. Moreover, additional analyses with 282 of the children of these cohort members demonstrated that this same process was partially replicated in the next generation of children. The findings suggest reciprocal or transactional influences that promote conscientiousness and accumulating personal, economic, and social advantages over time and generations