Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Critique - Essay Example It is vital to understand the methods implemented by single mothers to successfully cope with stress as mothers experiencing stress can be detrimental to the stressors of their children. Similarly, a link has been revealed that shows a correlation between the economic stress of a single mother, the way in which she responds to and raises her child, and the overall outcome of her child in regard to their own behaviors and future economic status. Understanding how economic pressure negatively influences a single mother will also help in gaining an understanding into how maternal optimism promotes positive parenting behaviors despite environmental adversity, thus promoting a positive life for the child. Another purpose that this article serves is to fill the gap of literature pertaining to dispositional optimism within minority ethnic groups, especially in relation to mother-headed homes. Very few studies have been undergone in regard to this; most studies have looked into the negative influences and outcomes of single-mother households, shunting aside the existence of maternal optimism in other families with similar structures. Methods The study began in the mid-1990s, using 889 African American children, their caregivers, and, when possible, an older sibling, all living in Iowa and Georgia. The participants of the study were taken on through telephone interviews. Data was collected between these families in four different waves, starting in 1997 and ending in 2006. Of the original 889 participants available during the first wave, only 86.7% were involved in wave two and three interviews. From this group, families run by single mothers, as opposed to caregivers, were chosen and the others were dismissed. The final sample group of the study consisted of 394 single mother families. During each interview, two two-hour home visits in a span of seven days were made to each family. The first visit involved the giving of consent, both of the mother and the children to p articipate in the study; name and locations of schools were also given, and children’s teachers were authorized to provide further information about the children’s functioning at school. The ages of the participating children varied from ten to fifteen years of age; the mean age of the mothers was thirty-five years of age. The mean education of the mothers was approximately twelve years, and the mean income was $20,689. The mean number of children per family varied between one and two. Various questions were asked of the mothers and children, each pertaining to certain economic situations or behavioral statuses. These variables would be used to measure the overall situations of the individual families. These variables are are follows: Mother’s childhood adversity, which asked eight questions to determine if the mother was subjected to specific adverse childhood advents such as a relative living at home having a serious drinking problem. Economic pressure, which measured four indicators (unmet material needs, cannot make ends meet, financial cutbacks, and no money), all dealing with the financial situation of the household. Mother’s dispositional optimism was then measured, offering yes/no questions to determine the mother’s level of optimism during times of hardship. Mother’s internalizing symptoms, which measured how depressed, discouraged,