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Poster #52 - Parenting Challenges Among Families Experiencing Homelessness

Sat, March 25, 1:30 to 2:15pm, Salt Palace Convention Center, Floor: 1, Hall A-B

Abstract

One in every 30 children in the U.S., or 2.5 million, experience homelessness (Bassuk et al., 2014). Children experiencing homelessness, of which over half are under the age of 6, are at a higher risk for developing early-onset externalizing behavior problems (EBP; Koblinsky et al., 2000). Investigating parenting factors within this at-risk group is crucial given the role of parents in the development and treatment of EBP. As part of a community-university partnership, the current study examined differences in parent-child interactions and parenting stress within a sample of young children and mothers experiencing homelessness versus a community sample of children and families in a non-homeless setting which included typically developing children (TD) and a treatment seeking group of children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The total sample size for the current study was 436 children (mean age 4.7 years, SD = 1.24; 70% male; 64% Latinx, 31% Black/African-American) and their primary caregivers. Out of this sample, 146 children and mothers were currently living at a homeless shelter while the remaining sample was part of a large ongoing longitudinal study. Diagnostically, 53.7% of the sample were deemed to have clinically elevated levels of behavior problems as measured by either a diagnosis of ADHD or elevated levels on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI; Eyberg & Ross, 1978). Mothers complete questionnaires regarding their children’s behavior problems and their own parenting stress. The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System-4th Edition (DPICS-IV; Eyberg et al., 2013) was used to measure the quality of parent-child interactions during a 5-minute child-led play session. Consistent with prior parenting research, we coded and created a composite of positive parenting verbalizations (behavior descriptions, reflections, praises) and negative parenting verbalizations (questions, commands, & negative talk) used during child-led play. Additionally, to account for mothers’ total verbalizations, including neutral verbalizations, the current study used a proportion score ranging from 0 to 1 for both positive and negative verbalizations (e.g., the total number of positive verbalizations was divided by the total number of positive, negative, and neutral verbalizations; Bagner et al., 2016).

A MANCOVA, controlling for child age and sex, was conducted to compare the groups: 1) Homeless Shelter-Typically Developing (n = 94), 2) Homeless Shelter-Elevated Behavior Problems (n = 48), 3) Community Sample-Typically Developing (n = 76), and 4) Community Sample-Elevated Behavior Problems (n =180) on parenting stress and parent-child interactions. As seen in Table 1, mothers experiencing homelessness were more likely to engage in negative verbalizations during child-led play regardless of their children’s behavior problem status compared to parents in the community groups. No group differences were found on positive parent verbalizations. Finally, parenting stress was significantly higher among mothers experiencing homelessness, especially in the presence of elevated child behavior problems, compared to parents in the community groups. Within the community groups, parents of children with elevated behavior problems reported higher levels of stress relative to those with typically developing children. These results highlight the need for integrating evidence-based parenting programs within an at-risk population such as families experiencing homelessness.

Group Authors

Sundari Foundation, Inc. dba Lotus House Women's Shelter.

Authors