Work and Family Transitions Project (WFTP) #2

National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH56777)

In study #2, our aim was to examine the same issues questions regarding/involved in the transition to parenthood coupled with the transition back to paid employment in a more diverse sample in terms of race, ethnicity and family structure.   Despite the large literature on the transition to parenthood, few studies have focused on African-American, Latino or single-mother families as unique ecological contexts that may affect how adults cope with parenthood.   Research indicates that cultural and ethnic minorities tend to face more stressors than the majority population, and racial differences in mental health outcomes persist even at equivalent levels of socio-economic status.   Important questions arise as to how African-American and Latino families, coping with parenthood and employment issues, manage their work and family lives, and what the implications are of these transitions for parents' and children's mental health and family relationships.

In addition, the rise in mother-only families raises questions as to how this subgroup copes with new parenthood while managing their work obligations.   The literature on single-mother families suggests that mothers and children in these households may be at increased risk for role overload, depression, and anxiety; however, much of this literature confounds class (e.g., income and educational inequities) with family structure (McLanahan & Booth, 1989).

Research on both minority and single-parent families has often been approached from a deficit perspective, focusing on mental health disparities, physical health disparities, and disparities in resources.   While it is important to document such inequities, inequities that exist in large part due to racism and classism, it is equally important to understand sources of strength and resilience within these families.   Research must explicate those practices, skills, and beliefs that have maintained individual and family health in the face of adversity (Ramseur, 1991).   A primary goal of this research is to understand how race and family structure interact to form unique ecological niches that influence work, mental health, and family processes.

This study replicates the transition to parenthood study conducted in the initial grant with six distinct samples of working-class families: 1) a sample of African-American, two-parent families, 2) a sample of African-American, single-mother families, 3) a sample of European-American, single-mother, families, 4) a sample of European-American, two-parent, families 5) a sample of Latina, single-mother, families and, 6) a sample of Latino, two-parent families.   Families experiencing their first transition to parenthood as well as families with older siblings will be included since prior research indicates that the transition to parenthood often occurs earlier in the life course for minority women.   Special attention will be paid to the moderating roles of race, family structure and the interaction of the two as the following specific aims are addressed:

1. To examine, using couple-level data where applicable, how change over time in conditions of work and the couple relationship, as well as prenatal factors, such as years married, age, married or cohabiting status, and planned pregnancy, are related to change in parents' psychological distress across the first year and to examine how race/ethnicity and family structure may moderate these relationships.



2. To examine how women's and men's work and family roles and responsibilities change across the transition to parenthood and again when new mothers return to the workforce, and to address how race/ethnicity and family structure may moderate these changes.



3. To determine the effects of family-friendly workplace policies on mothers' and fathers' psychological well-being (and when applicable marital quality) as they cope with multiple transitions and to explore how race/ethnicity and family structure moderate these relationships.

The aim is not to conduct a race comparative study (McLoyd, 1991), an approach that has historically held up European-American families as the model to which all others are compared.   Rather, the goal is to enhance the ecological validity of our understanding of how parents cope with the challenges of raising an infant and managing a job, and to better understand the work and family processes that lead to enhanced mental health, more positive marital and parent-child relationships, and optimal child development during this time.