Poster #81 - Contextual Antecedents and Well-Being Indicators Associated with Children’s and Adolescents’ Access to Supportive Non-Parent Adults

• In Event: Poster Session 08

Abstract

Introduction: Researchers have increasingly recognized the unique, impactful role of youth’s relationships with supportive, non-parent adults (SPNAs) (e.g., Sterrett et al., 2011; Van Dam et al., 2018), although studies provide cause for both enthusiasm and concern. On one hand, SNPA relationships are prevalent and are associated with better behavioral, psychosocial, and academic functioning for youth, as well as long-term gains in educational attainment and economic mobility (van Dam et al., 2018; Hagler & Rhodes, 2018). Unfortunately, nationally representative studies have also found that SNPA relationships are unequally distributed, such that social advantage provides privileged youth with greater access to SNPAs (Gowdy et al., 2021, 2022; Raposa et al., 2018). Yet, the current body of research has several limitations. Most previous studies used data that are now decades old, did not examine specific contextual factors (e.g., neighborhood and family characteristics) beyond basic demographics, and focused on adolescent samples, excluding school-age children. Further, studies investigating functional outcomes associated with SNPA relationships have predominantly relied on regression-based approaches, which may not adequately control for confounding variables inherent in nonexperimental research (Morgan & Winship, 2007).

Study Population and Methods: We conducted secondary data analysis of the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children’s Health, a U.S.-based, nationally representative, caregiver-reported survey. We analyzed separate subsamples of school-age children (ages 6-12, n=12,849) and adolescents (ages 12-17, n=17,628). Caregivers responded to survey items about their children’s demographics, neighborhood and family characteristics, activity involvement, access to SNPAs, health, and psychosocial functioning.

Analyses and Hypotheses: First, we used hierarchical logistic regressions to examine contextual factors (i.e., demographics, neighborhoods, families, extracurricular activities) associated with the presence of SNPAs for school-age children and adolescents. We hypothesized that indicators of social advantage (i.e., higher income, White race, non-immigrant status, safe and well-resourced neighborhoods, more involved and well-resourced families, access to extracurricular activities) would be positively associated with the presence of SNPAs. Second, we used propensity score matching to examine health and psychosocial outcomes associated with the presence of SNPAs after rigorously controlling for these contextual factors. We hypothesized that youth with SPNAs would have better health, social, academic, and behavioral functioning.

Results: For both school-age children and adolescents, multiple markers of social advantage (i.e., White race, non-immigrant status, neighborhood safety and resources, access to extracurriculars) were associated with increased likelihood of having SNPAs. Familial factors (e.g., family resilience, caregiver participation in school/extracurricular activities) were associated with SNPA presence for school-age children but not adolescents. According to propensity score matching analyses, SNPA relationships were negatively associated with social difficulties among school-age children and adolescents and were positively associated with overall health status among adolescents only. SNPA relationships were not associated with indicators of academic and behavioral functioning.

Conclusions: Social disadvantage – across multiple ecological levels – limits children’s and adolescents’ access to SNPAs. Caregiver and families may play larger roles in facilitating SNPA relationships for school-age children compared to adolescents. SNPA relationships are associated with some aspects of youth well-being, although the range and extent of associated outcomes may be more modest than previous studies have suggested.

Authors

• Matthew A Hagler, Francis Marion University
  Presenting Author

• Cyanea Ys Poon