Hispanic Families: Parenting Support and Social Networking Sites

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Mass Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Social support has been associated with improved outcomes for young children growing up in poverty. In the United States, Hispanic families now make up 17% of the population and have one of the highest poverty rates. This paper examines data from two surveys to describe where Hispanic parents of young children go to for parenting support. Study 1 describes how Hispanic parents seek out parenting advice and information from offline and online sources. Study 2 explores how lower- and middle-income Hispanic parents directly seek out parenting advice and information and indirectly find such support on social networking sites. Results provide descriptive data on how Hispanic families seek and find parenting information, including how the digital divide may impact online opportunities for such social support. This paper has implications for future research and intervention studies that aim to both level the digital divide and support parents in novel, cost effective ways.

Authors

• Alexis Lauricella, Northwestern University

• Courtney Blackwell, Northwestern University