Profiles of Family Functioning and Stress as a Predictor of Early Head Start Children’s Social-Emotional Outcomes

• In Event: Meeting the Mandate for Delivering Comprehensive Services for Families: Early Head Start Supports and Outcomes

Abstract

This study examined profiles of family functioning, stress, and psychological wellbeing in families participating in Early Head Start (EHS) and how profiles relate to children’s social-emotional development. Previous research indicates that even among a low-income population, families’ level of functioning and wellbeing varies widely, and this may relate to children’s social-emotional outcomes.

We explored these research questions:
1. How do families in EHS align into profiles based upon family functioning, parenting stress, psychological wellbeing, and social support?
2. Does profile membership differentially predict children’s social-emotional outcomes?

We hypothesized that membership in profiles associated with higher stress, lower functioning and psychological wellbeing, and less social support would relate to less optimal social-emotional outcomes for children.

This research was part of a study of family stress in an EHS program that offers services in English or Spanish. Participants included 247 primary caregivers whose children were enrolled in EHS. Participants completed questionnaires in either English or Spanish.

We measured parenting stress and functioning using the subscales of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI; Abidin, 1990) and the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD; Epstein et al., 1983). We measured psychological wellbeing using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977). We measured social support using questions about neighborhood social cohesion from the Making Connections survey, and the Friends subscale from the Perceived Social Support Scale (Procidano & Heller, 1983). Parents completed the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA; Briggs-Gowan & Carter, 2006), which examines social competence and behavioral problems in children 12 to 36 months. They also completed a family background survey to provide basic demographic information.

To examine the relationship between family stress and wellbeing using a person-centered approach, we conducted latent profile analysis. We used the BCH approach (Bakk & Vermunt, 2016) to explore whether the profiles of family stress and functioning differentially predicted children’s social-emotional outcomes.

Using a variety of fit statistics and examining interpretability, we determined that a three-profile solution fit the data best. Descriptive statistics are in Table 1. Most families (63%) fell into Profile 1, Low Stress, High Functioning. This profile was characterized by the lowest levels of family stress and highest levels of family functioning and social support. Smaller percentages of families fell into Profile 2, Moderate Stress (25%), and Profile 3, High Psychological Distress and Parenting Stress (12%). The Moderate Stress profile was characterized by moderate levels of family stress and somewhat lower levels of family functioning. The High Psychological Distress and Parenting Stress group was characterized by the highest levels of stress and low levels of family functioning.

Profiles 1 and 2 and Profiles 1 and 3 differed significantly on children’s problem behaviors and competence, with those in the lower stress profile showing more optimal social-emotional outcomes, as shown in Table 2. These results highlight the importance of supporting family functioning and wellbeing as a means to promote positive social-emotional outcomes in children attending EHS.
 

Authors

• Alison Hooper, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
  Presenting Author

• Jason T Hustedt, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gerilyn Slicker, University of Nevada Las Vegas
  Non-Presenting Author