Low‐Income Parental Profiles of Coping, Resource Adequacy, and Public Assistance Receipt: Links to Parenting

Variation in perceptions of resources and in coping strategies among low-income parents likely influences parenting. The purposes of this study were to identify differences in parental profiles, as indicated by receipt of public assistance, perceptions of adequacy of resources, and coping strategies, and to examine these profiles relative to parenting. Results showed that perceptions of resource adequacy and coping strategies best differentiated parental profiles, whereas use of constructive coping strategies predicted cognitive stimulating parenting. Key Words: coping, low-income, parenting, perceptions of resources, public assistance, toddlers. One in six children in the United States is currently living with a family whose income falls below the Federal poverty guidelines (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, & Mills, 2006; Gershoff, Aber, Raver, & Lennon, 2007). Living with constant financial difficulties is highly stressful for parents and, indirectly, for their children as well (Ennis, Hobfoll, & Schroder, 2000). Parents and children in low-income families often suffer from a lack of adequate material resources, including food, residential stability, and medical insurance (Gershoff et al., 2007). Lack of material resources influences children's outcomes indirectly by placing a significant toll on family functioning, thereby presenting barriers to effective parenting (McLoyd, 1998; Mistry, Lowe, Benner, & Chien, 2008). Specifically, economic disadvantage has been linked to children's poor school achievement through less than optimal early parent-child interactions (McLoyd). Outcomes within low-income groups, however, differ greatly, with some parents in poverty demonstrating very effective parenting skills and their children exhibiting positive outcomes (Amato & Fowler, 2002). Research efforts since the 1990s have focused increasingly on identifying within-group differences among low-income parents relative to parental functioning and parenting behaviors (McGroder, 2000). These efforts play an important role in understanding the contexts in which low-income parents demonstrate resilience (Chase-Lansdale, Brooks-Gunn, & Zamsky, 1994) despite the stresses associated with poverty (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002; McLoyd, 1998). The current study focused on (a) identifying profiles of low-income parents according to variations in parents' perceptions of adequacy of resources and use of coping strategies, and (b) examining the relationship between parental profiles and parents' provision of cognitive stimulating parenting. Resilience As scholars have moved toward using strengthbased models within family systems in lieu of deficit-based models (Hawley & DeHann, 1996), characteristics associated with resilience in parents have been identified. For example, within low-income populations, material and psychological resources likely buffer the impacts of poverty on parenting and child outcomes (Amato & Fowler, 2002). Relative to the known risks associated with poverty, less is known about strengths identified within low-income samples and how certain characteristics may influence optimal parenting. Under the umbrella of resilience, Belsky 's ( 1 984) model of parenting and Pearlin and colleagues' (Pearlin, Lieberman, Menaghan, & Mullen, 1981) transactional stress model both guided the current study. These models have been applied previously in examining within-group differences among impoverished parents (Milburn & D'Ercole, 1991 ; Torquati, 2002) and provide a framework for better understanding variations in parents' perceptions of their resources and their coping strategies. Belsky's model emphasizes the role of personal and psychological resources that buffer against Stressors and contribute to more optimal parenting. Pearlin and colleagues suggest that perceptions of what constitutes Stressors, and available resources to reduce Stressors, are key influences in interactional processes between the individual and the environment that predict children's developmental outcomes. …