2-093 - Chaos in the House: Advancing understanding of socio-economic risk and the family context

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

In this symposium, we present three empirical studies examining the relation between household chaos and important aspects of the family context. The studies extend across the biological, parenting, and economic impact of household disorganization on child development. Chaotic environments are characterized by high amounts of ambient noise, unpredictability, instability, and confusion. This environmental disorganization is more commonly found in low income households and may be one avenue in explaining poor outcomes for some children raised in poverty. The first presentation provides longitudinal evidence that as household chaos increases there are similar increases in salivary alpha amylase from infancy into toddlerhood. The second paper provides evidence that angry authoritarian parenting was associated with chaos but only at higher levels of socioeconomic stress. The final presentation provides evidence that family chaos predicts the likelihood of a household being food insecure above and beyond socioeconomic indicators including household income and education level. Taken together, these studies suggest that environmental chaos may be an important marker of family process in low income households that affects child development. The discussion will address measurement issues and potential implications for intervention and public policy.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Barbara H Fiese, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Discussant

• Kirby Deater-Deckard, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Individual Presentations

• Household Chaos and Child Physiology Across Infancy and Toddlerhood: A Child-Fixed Effect Approach. - Presenting Author: Daniel Berry, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Clancy Blair, New York University; Lynne Vernon-Feagans, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Michael Willoughby, Research Triangle Institute; Douglas Granger

• Socioeconomic Risk Moderates the Link between Household Chaos and Angry Authoritarian Parenting - Presenting Author: Shereen El Mallah, Virginia Tech; Martha Ann Bell, Virginia Tech; Kirby Deater-Deckard, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Family Chaos and Food Insecurity: A new frame for understanding resource availability in low income households - Presenting Author: Barbara H Fiese, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Brenda Koester, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Blake L. Jones, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign