More complex modelling
equivalence of a model of parenting behaviour linking financial strain to adolescents’
academic achievement in an economically diverse sample of African American and
European American families and found no ethnic differences. Together, such findings
bolster the argument that irrespective of differences across a whole host of distal
factors, financial hardship affects the functioning and well-being of economically
distressed families and children through similar pathways.
6.5.2 The role of education
The authors make no reference to nor test any aspect of parental education in their
models.
6.6. Summary
All three papers find that economic hardship only had an indirect effect on parenting
behaviour that was mediated by parents’ perception of economic pressure and
psychological well-being. These studies contribute to a burgeoning body of research
that documents the need to assess the immediate and direct impact of low income and
poverty on children’s health and cognitive development (see also Conger et al., 1992,
1993; Hanson et al., 1997). Together, these findings underscore the importance of
placing parenting practices within an ecological framework to understand why poor
parents turn to certain strategies and not others. Moreover, the models reviewed
suggest that we must not simply explore a given environmental context as a direct
predictor of behaviour, but as a potential moderator of psychological relations as well.
While this type of approach will certainly complicate empirical models, the benefits
will provide a more holistic picture of families and their children’s development as
they navigate the obstacles of poverty.
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