(PS12-19) Depressive Symptoms, Social Supports, and Parenting in Black Families

Black parents’ engagement in nurturant involved parenting and involved vigilant parenting practices has been shown to protect Black youth from negative outcomes and promote children’s healthy and positive development. The current study sought to understand whether Black parents’ depressive symptoms might reduce engagement in these protective parenting practices and whether their social supports (e.g., coparenting, partner support) might increase engagement. We also examined whether social supports buffered the hypothesized negative association between parents’ depressive symptoms and protective parenting.  

Three hundred and forty-six Black families with a pre-adolescent child between the ages of 9 and 14 living in the rural South participated. Each parent reported on their depressive symptoms, their perceptions of their partner’s support and positive coparenting processes with their partner, and their engagement in nurturant involved parenting and involved vigilant parenting behaviors. Correlational analyses indicated mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptoms were significantly negatively associated with their involved vigilant parenting (r = -.196, p < .001, and r = -.281, p < .001, respectively) and their nurturant involved parenting (r = -.150, p = .005, and r = -.101, p = .060, respectively). Conversely, for both mothers and fathers, coparenting and spousal support were significantly positively associated with their involved vigilant parenting (mothers’ coparenting r = .307, p < .001; mothers’ partner support r = .130, p = .021; fathers’ coparenting r = .513, p < .001; fathers’ partner support r = .226, p < .001) and with their nurturant involved parenting (mothers’ coparenting r = .298, p < .001; mothers’ partner support r = .138 , p = .011; fathers’ coparenting r = .387, p < .001; fathers’ partner support r = .294, p < .001). There was only one significant interaction, and it was inconsistent with the buffering hypothesis: fathers who reported more depressive symptoms and reported lower levels of coparenting support reported engaging in higher levels of nurturant involved parenting (r = .294, p < .001).

         These findings build on previous work showing that parents with higher levels of depressive symptoms may have difficulty engaging with positive parenting practices and that having access to higher levels of social support may promote positive parenting practices. At the same time, these findings suggest that partner support and coparenting may not buffer the impact of negative mental health symptoms on positive parenting behaviors. Interventions that address Black parents’ depressive symptoms and that foster social support may enhance positive involvement of Black parents with their children and improve the well-being of Black American families.