Melissa Radey1, Lenore M McWey2. 1. Florida State University, College of Social Work, 296 Champions Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306, mradey@fsu.edu. 2. Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Sandels Building 210, Tallahassee, FL 32306, lmcwey@fsu.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the support and burden of low-income, urban mothers' informal networks. BACKGROUND: Living or growing up in poverty strongly predicts barriers and instability across several life domains for mothers and their children. Informal networks can play a critical role in promoting maternal and child well-being particularly in the midst of poverty. Understanding informal support and the reciprocal burden it may create is especially relevant for low-income families living with a reduced public safety net in the post-welfare reform era. Therefore, study aims were to measure support and burden among low-income mothers and determine if support and burden change over time. METHOD: Data were from the Welfare, Children, Families (WCF) project, a longitudinal study of 2,400 low-income, caregivers of children and adolescents living in Boston, Chicago, or San Antonio (http://web.jhu.edu/threecitystudy/index.html)). We applied latent class analyses to support and burden indicators in four domains-emotional, favor, child care, and financial. RESULTS: Results supported four profiles of informal networks - healthy, unhealthy, burden only, and support only. Although most mothers had healthy informal networks, approximately one-third experienced no support or support imbalance which related to network changes at later time points. Demographic characteristics largely were not predictive of support profile or profile change. CONCLUSION: Although many mothers had healthy support and burden, the most vulnerable did not have consistently healthy informal networks. The identification of a sizable minority of low-income mothers who cannot consistently rely on informal support is significant in light of diminished formal supports available to children and families.
OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the support and burden of low-income, urban mothers' informal networks. BACKGROUND: Living or growing up in poverty strongly predicts barriers and instability across several life domains for mothers and their children. Informal networks can play a critical role in promoting maternal and child well-being particularly in the midst of poverty. Understanding informal support and the reciprocal burden it may create is especially relevant for low-income families living with a reduced public safety net in the post-welfare reform era. Therefore, study aims were to measure support and burden among low-income mothers and determine if support and burden change over time. METHOD: Data were from the Welfare, Children, Families (WCF) project, a longitudinal study of 2,400 low-income, caregivers of children and adolescents living in Boston, Chicago, or San Antonio (http://web.jhu.edu/threecitystudy/index.html)). We applied latent class analyses to support and burden indicators in four domains-emotional, favor, child care, and financial. RESULTS: Results supported four profiles of informal networks - healthy, unhealthy, burden only, and support only. Although most mothers had healthy informal networks, approximately one-third experienced no support or support imbalance which related to network changes at later time points. Demographic characteristics largely were not predictive of support profile or profile change. CONCLUSION: Although many mothers had healthy support and burden, the most vulnerable did not have consistently healthy informal networks. The identification of a sizable minority of low-income mothers who cannot consistently rely on informal support is significant in light of diminished formal supports available to children and families.
Entities:
Keywords:
family relations; kinship; latent class analysis; low-income families; poverty; social support