Single Parenting and Child Behavior Problems in Kindergarten

Two waves of data from a sample of 89 poor and near-poor single black mothers and their preschool children were used to study the influences of parenting stress, physical discipline practices, and nonresident fathers’ relations with their children on behavior problems in kindergarten. The results indicate that higher levels of parent stress, more frequent spanking, and less frequent father–child contact at time 1 were associated with increased teacher-reported behavior problems at time 2. In addition, more frequent contact between nonresident biological fathers and their children moderated the negative effect of harsh discipline by mothers on subsequent child behavior problems. Specifically, when contact with the father was low, maternal spanking resulted in elevated levels of behavior problems; with average contact, this negative effect of spanking was muted; and with high contact, spanking was not associated with increased behavior problems in kindergarten. The implications of these findings for future research and policy are discussed

Averting Child Maltreatment: Individual, Economic, Social, and Community Resources that Promote Resilient Parenting

This study explores the influence of promotive factors in achieving resilience to child abuse and neglect among 524 at-risk mothers, an indicator that has substantial implications for the child\u27s development and long-term outcomes. We include in our analyses measures of each ofthe potential qualities or resources discussed in the literature: characteristics of the child, maternal characteristics, socioeconomic resources, social resources and supportive networks, and perceived neighborhood safety. The analyses suggest the importance of a diverse array of factors in the sustained and successful avoidance of child abuse and neglect among a sample of women at risk to maltreat. The explanatory power of promotive factors individually and collectively indicates that resilience does not simply represent the other end of a risk continuum but reflects the presence of considerable and accessible resources that compensate for a range of adversities. These resources include characteristics and activities of the mother, socioeconomic resources, and social resources available in the community in which she and her child live