SYNOPSIS

Objective. Effective parenting is among the strongest predictors of child resilience, but the stress and adversity associated with homelessness may undermine the capacity of caregivers to parent. To identify malleable factors that could foster resilience in parenting, this study investigated social support in relation to observed parenting in the context of homelessness. Design. Participants included 95 mothers (M age = 29.75, 64.2% African American) and their 4- to 6-year-old children (55.8% male) residing in shelters for families experiencing homelessness. Mothers completed questionnaires, and trained raters coded video recordings of structured parent–child interactions for effective parenting. Results. Mothers reported “fairly high” satisfaction with support and average support network size of two individuals. Mothers reported more satisfaction when support came from family members and lower stress when support came from a co-parent. Neither satisfaction with support or support network size was significantly associated with effective parenting, and neither showed stress-buffering effects on parenting. Verbal capability was the most salient predictor of effective parenting. Conclusions. Mothers in emergency shelter reported satisfaction with social support despite a small network size. Support from family and their co-parent were important for satisfaction and perceived stress.

概要

客观的。有效的养育是儿童复原力的最强预测因素之一，但与无家可归相关的压力和逆境可能会削弱照顾者对父母的能力。为了确定可以促进育儿适应力的可塑性因素，本研究调查了在无家可归的情况下与观察到的育儿相关的社会支持。设计。参与者包括居住在无家可归家庭收容所的 95 名母亲（ M年龄 = 29.75，64.2% 非裔美国人）及其 4 至 6 岁儿童（55.8% 男性）。母亲们完成了问卷调查，训练有素的评估者对结构化的亲子互动的视频录像进行编码，以实现有效的养育。结果。母亲报告说对两个人的支持和平均支持网络规模“相当高”的满意度。母亲们报告说，当来自家庭成员的支持时，她们的满意度更高，而当来自共同父母的支持时，她们的压力更低。对支持或支持网络规模的满意度都与有效养育没有显着相关，也没有显示出对养育的压力缓冲作用。语言能力是有效养育最显着的预测指标。结论。尽管网络规模较小，紧急避难所的母亲对社会支持表示满意。来自家人及其共同父母的支持对于满意度和感知压力很重要。