Study: Neighborhoods and Ethnicity Influence Effective Parenting Styles

Oct. 26, 2004 -- Oversimplified parenting strategies presented in self-help books are not appropriate for all families, according to an assistant professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Psychology.

Eric Dearing's new research findings verify that the most effective parenting strategies vary depending on both the type of neighborhoods in which the children live and on their ethnicity. His article appears in the September-October issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

"Effective parenting often varies by characteristic of the child, such as age, characteristics of the family, such as ethnicity, and characteristic of the neighborhood environment, such as crime and poverty or safe and middle-class," says Dearing.

"The Developmental Implications of Restrictive and Supportive Parenting Across Neighborhoods and Ethnicities: Exceptions are the Rule" analyzes 200 families in the Boston, Mass., area. The study began when children were in first, second or third grade, and followed them for four years.

Teachers recorded children's classroom performance, while children reported on their depressive symptoms. The students varied in three areas: quality of neighborhoods (safe and wealthy to dangerous and poor), ethnicity (African-American, European-American or Latino-American) and type of parenting they received at home (supportive or restrictive).

Dearing explains that supportive parenting, which involves responsiveness to a child's needs, was associated with high achievement and low levels of depressive symptoms for most children. He found this positive association was particularly strong for African-American children living in impoverished neighborhoods. The impacts of restrictive parenting (heavy monitoring and controlling of a child's behavior) varied across ethnic groups and neighborhood conditions.

The research revealed that on average, children had low levels of academic achievement and high levels of depressive symptoms if their parents practiced restrictive parenting. These results were especially true for European-American kids living in poor neighborhoods.

Dearing found, however, that young African-American children in low-income neighborhoods excelled in academics and reported low levels of depressive symptoms when exposed to restrictive parenting. Results for Latino-American kids paralleled the African-American results but were less pronounced.

Dearing argues that neighborhoods, ethnicity and parenting all interact. He says parenting styles can be adapted to protect children from the risks of living in low-income environments.

"This research suggests that parents need to be sensitive to their cultural identity as well as to the environment in which their family lives," says Dearing. "For example, living in a dangerous neighborhood may require different parenting strategies then living in a safe, middle class neighborhood."

He notes these findings and other research affirm that no singular parenting strategy will work for everyone.

Posted on Tuesday, October 26, 2004