Abstract
The investigation was an exploratory study that examined the association of externalizing and internalizing problems with school achievement and school engagement in a sample of African American mothers and adolescents (N = 200). The study also assessed whether demanding kin relations moderated the relations between these variables. Hypotheses were examined with structured interviews administered to mothers and adolescents. Results revealed that externalizing problems were negatively associated with adolescents’ school achievement. Also, the negative relations of externalizing problems with school achievement and school engagement were especially apparent in families with demanding kin relations. Additional research is needed on potential antecedents of demanding kin relations as well as the processes mediating the effects of negative relations with kin.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Abbey, A., Abramis, D. J., & Caplan, R. D. (1985). Effects of different sources of social support and social conflict on emotional well-being. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 6, 111–129.
Baird, L. L. (1976). Using self-report to predict school performance. College Entrance Examination Research Monograph, 7, 1–17.
Baron, R. M., & Kenney, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.
Basch, C. E. (2011). Aggression and violence and the achievement gap among urban minority youth. Journal of School Health, 81, 619–625.
Brody, G. H., Murry, V. M., Kim, S., & Brown, A. C. (2002). Longitudinal pathways to competence and psychological adjustment among African American children living in rural single-parent households. Child Development, 73, 1505–1516.
Brown, B. (2004). Adolescents’ relationships with peers. In R. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 363–394). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Budescu, M., & Taylor, R. D. (2013). Order in the home: Family routines moderate the impact of financial hardship. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 34, 63–72.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (2012). National crime victimization survey: criminal victimization, 2011 (US Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin NCJ 214644).
Busby, D. R., Lambert, S. F., & Ialongo, N. S. (2013). Psychological symptoms linking community violence to academic functioning in African American adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 250–262.
Carlo, G., Crockett, L. J., & Carranza, M. A. (2011). Health disparities in youth and families: research and applications (Vol. 57). New York, NY: SpringerScience Business Media.
Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. C. (2002). Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73, 1310–1321.
Cedeno, L. A., Elias, M. J., Kelly, S., & Chu, B. C. (2010). School violence, adjustment and the influence of hope on low-income African-American youth. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80, 213–226.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012). Preventing youth violence. http://www.cdc.gov.
Chase-Lansdale, L. P., Cherlin, A. J., Guttmannova, K., Fomby, P., Ribar, D. C., & Coley, R. L. (2011). Long-term implications of welfare reform for thedevelopment of adolescents and young adults. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 678–688.
Choi, H., & Marks, N. F. (2006). Transition to caregiving, marital disagreement, and psychological well-being: a prospective U.S. national study. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 1701–1722.
Cramer, J., & McDonald, K. B. (1996). Kin support and family stress: two sides to early childbearing and support networks. Human Organization, 51, 60–169.
Conger, R. D., Wallace, L. E., Sun, Y., Simon, R. L., McLoyd, V. C., & Brody, G. H. (2002). Economic pressure in African American families: a replication and extension of the family stress model. Developmental Psychology, 38, 179–193.
Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd edn.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357.
Cranford, J. A. (2004). Stress-buffering or stress-exacerbation? Social support and social undermining as moderators of the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms among married people. Personal Relationships, 11, 23–40.
Cunningham, M., Swanson, D. P., Spencer, M. B., & Dupree, D. (2003). The association of physical maturation with family hassles in African American males. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9, 274–286.
Curley, A. M. (2009). Draining or gaining? The social networks of public housing movers in Boston. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26, 227–247.
Dornbusch, S. M., Ritter, P. L., Leiderman, P. H., Roberts, D. F., & Fraleigh, M. J. (1987). The relation of parenting style to adolescent school performance. Child Development, 58, 1244–1257.
Fowler, P. J., Tompsett, C. J., Braciszewski, J. M., Jacques-Tiura, A. J., & Baltes, B. B. (2009). Community violence: A meta-analysis on the effect of exposure and mental health outcomes of children and adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 227–259.
Fröjd, S. A., Nissinen, E. S., Pelkonen, M. U. I., Marttunen, M. J., Koivisto, A. M., & Kaltiala-Heino, R. (2008). Depression and school performance in middle adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 485–498.
García Coll, C. T., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H. P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B. H., & Vazquez García, H. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67, 1891–1914.
Gorman-Smith, D., & Tolan, P. (1998). The role of exposure to community violence and developmental problems among inner-city youth. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 101–116.
Guerra, N. G., Rowell Huesmann, L., & Spindler, A. (2003). Community violence exposure, social cognition, and aggression among urban elementary school children. Child Development, 74, 1561–1576.
Gutman, L. M., McLoyd, V. C., & Tokoyawa, T. (2005). Financial strain, neighborhood stress, parenting behaviors and adolescent adjustment in urban African American families. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 15, 425–429.
Haines, M. E., Norris, M. P., & Kashy, D. A. (1996). The effects of depressed mood on academic performance in college students. Journal of College Student Development, 37, 519–526.
Heinrich, C. C., Schwab-Stone, M., Fanti, K., Jones, S. M., & Ruchkin, V. (2004). The association of community violence exposure with middle-school achievement: a prospective study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25, 327–348.
Holmbeck, G. N. (1997). Toward terminological, conceptual and statistical clarity in the study of mediators and moderators: examples from the child-clinical and pediatric psychology literatures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 599–610.
Ialongo, N., Edelsohn, G., Werthamer-Larsson, L., Crockett L., & Kellam, S. (1994). The significance of self-reported anxiety symptoms in first grade children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 441–454.
Jarrett, R. L., Jefferson, S. R., & Kelly, J. N. (2010). Finding community in family: neighborhood effects and African American kin networks. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 41(3), 299–328.
Jones, D. J., Forehand, R., Rakow, A., Colleti, C. J. M., McKee, L., & Zalot, A. (2008). The specificity of maternal parenting behavior and child adjustment difficulties: a study of inner-city African American families. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 181–192.
Kirkcaldy, B., & Siefen, G. (1998). Depression, anxiety and self-image among children and adolescents. School Psychology International, 19, 135–149.
Kleit, R. G. (2010). Draining ties: tie quality versus content in the social networks of low-income women displaced by redevelopment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27, 573–588.
Kovacs, M., & Goldston, D. (1991). Cognitive and social cognitive development of depressed children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 388–392.
Kuncel, N. R., Crede, M., & Thomas, L. L. (2005). The validity of self-reported grade point averages, class ranks and test scores: a meta-analysis and review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 75, 63–82.
Lamborn, S. D., & Nguyen, D.-G. T. (2004). African American adolescents’ perceptions of family interactions: kinship support, parent-child relationships, and teen adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 547–559.
Lee, R. M., Draper, M., & Lee, S. (2001). Social connectedness, dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors and psychological distress: testing a mediator model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 310–318.
Lee, R. M., & Robbins, S. B. (1995). Measuring belongingness: the social connectedness and social assurance scales. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42, 232–241.
Lincoln, K. D. (2000). Social support, negative interaction and well-being. Social Service Review, 74, 231–252.
Lincoln, K. D., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2012). Correlates of emotional support and negative interaction among African American and Caribbean Blacks. Journal of Family Issues, 34, 1262–1290.
Mazzone, L. L., Ducci, F. F., Scoto, M. C., Passaniti, E. E., D’Arrigo., G., & Vitiello, B. B. (2007). The role of anxiety symptoms in school performance in a community sample of children and adolescents. BMC Public Health, 7, 347.
McDonald, A. S. (2001). The prevalence and effects of test anxiety in school children. Educational Psychology, 21, 89–101.
McLoyd, V. C., Jayaratne, T. E., Ceballo, R., & Borquez, J. (1994). Unemployment and work interruption among African American single mothers: effects on parenting and adolescent socioemotional functioning. Child Development, 65, 562–589.
Miles, S. B., & Stipek, D. (2006). Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations between social behavior and literacy achievement in a sample of low-income elementary school children. Child Developmenty, 77, 103–117.
Neighbors, H. W. (1997). Husbands, wives, family and friends: sources of stress, sources of support. In R. J. Taylor, J. S. Jackson & L. M. Chatters (Eds.), Family life in Black America (pp. 277–292). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Pallock, L. L., & Lamborn, S. D. (2006). Beyond parenting practices: extended kinship support and the academic adjustment of African American and European American teens. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 813–828.
Quay, H. C., & Peterson, D. R. (1987). Manual for the revised behavior problem checklist, unpublished manuscript. Coral Gables, FL: University of Miami.
Richards, M. H., Larson, R., Miller, B. V., Luo, Z., Sims, B., Parrella, D. P., et al. (2004). Risky and protective contexts and exposure to violence in urban African American young adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33, 138–148.
Rook, K. S. (1984). The negative side of social interaction: impact on psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1097–1108.
Shahar, G., Henrich, C. C., Winokur, A., Blatt, S. J., Kuperminc, G. P., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2006). Self-criticism and depressive symptomatology interact to predict middle school academic achievement. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 147–155.
Schwartz, D., & Gorman, A. H. (2003). Community violence exposure and children’s academic functioning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 163–173.
Spector, P. E. (2006). Method variance in organizational research: truth or urban legend? Organizational Research Methods, 9, 221–232.
Steinberg, L. (1987). Unpublished questionnaires. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University.
Taylor, R. D. (1996). Kinship support, family management, and adolescent adjustment and competence in African-American families. Developmental Psychology, 32, 687–695.
Taylor, R. D. (2015). Kin social undermining, adjustment and family relations among low-income African American mothers and adolescents: moderating effects of kin social support. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 1271–1284.
Taylor, R. D. (2010). Risk and resilience in low-income African American families: moderating effects of kinship social support. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 344–351.
Taylor, R. D. (2016). Demanding kin relations and adjustment among low income African American families: moderating effects of family routine. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 26, 638–644.
Taylor, R. D., Budescu, M., Gebre, A., & Hodzic, I. (2014). Family financial pressure and maternal and adolescent socioemotional adjustment: moderating effects of kin social support in low income African American families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23, 242–254.
Taylor, R. D., Budescu, M., & McGill, R. K. (2011). Demanding kin relations and depressive symptoms among low-income African American women: mediating effects of self-esteem and optimism. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17, 303–308.
Taylor, R. D., Casten, R., & Flickinger, S. (1993). The influence kinship social support on the parenting experiences and psychological adjustment of African-American adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 29, 382–388.
Taylor, R. D., Gebre, A., & Budescu, M. (2016). Distressing mother-adolescent relations and psychological well-being in low income African American families: moderating effects of demanding kin relations. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 678–690.
Taylor, R. D., & Roberts, D. (1995). Kinship support and parental and adolescent well-being in economically disadvantaged African-American families. Child Development, 66, 1585–1597.
Taylor, R. D., Seaton, E., & Dominguez, A. (2008). Kinship support, family relations and psychological adjustment among low-income African-American mothers and adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18, 1–22.
Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Tucker, M. B., & Lewis, E. (1990). Development in research on black families: a decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 993–1014.
Taylor, R. J., Chae, D. H., Lincoln, K. D., & Chatters, L. M. (2015). Extended family and friendship support networks are both protective and risk factors for major depressive disorders and depressive symptoms among African-American and Black Caribbean’s. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 203, 132–140.
Vinokur, A. D., & Ryn van, M. (1993). Social support and undermining in close relationships: their independent effects on the mental health of unemployed persons. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 350–359.
Wood, J. J. (2006). Parental intrusiveness and children’s separation anxiety in a clinical sample. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 37, 73–87.
Zimmerman, M. A., Caldwell, C. H., & Bernat, D. H. (2002). Discrepancy between self-report and school-record grade point average: correlates with psychosocial out-comes among African American adolescents. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 86–109.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants in the study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taylor, R.D. Demanding Kin Relations, Adjustment Problems and Academic Achievement and Engagement among Low-Income, African American Adolescents. J Child Fam Stud 27, 707–716 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0933-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0933-z