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Parenting Practices and Child Adjustment in Different Types of Households

A Study of African American Families

University of Georgia, Athens, lgsimons{at}uga.edu

Yi-Fu Chen

University of Georgia, Athens

Ronald L. Simons

University of Georgia, Athens

Gene Brody

University of Georgia, Athens

Carolyn Cutrona

Iowa State University, Ames

This article uses a sample of 867 African American households to investigate differences in parenting practices and child outcomes by type of household. Results indicate that mothers provide similar levels of parenting regardless of family structure. Secondary caregivers, however, show a great deal of variation in quality of parenting. Fathers and grandmothers engage in the highest quality parenting, stepfathers the poorest, with other relatives falling in between. These differences in parenting do not explain family structure differences in child behavior problems. Results suggest that children do best when there are two caregivers in the household, although stepfathers are an exception to this rule. Child behavior problems are found to be no greater in either mother-grandmother or mother-relative families than in households with two biological parents. In terms of risk for child behavior problems, these family forms seem to be functionally equivalent.

Key Words: African American families • parenting • stepfamilies • child behavior problems

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 27, No. 6, 803-825 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X05285447


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