Date of Award

10-16-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Catherine Santiago

Abstract

Coping refers to all the strategies and processes that an individual uses to eliminate, reduce or tolerate stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Rosario et al., 2003). Within the general coping literature, research has observed that use of approach-oriented coping strategies is associated with positive psychosocial outcomes, and avoidant-oriented coping strategies is associated with negative psychosocial outcomes (e.g., Compas et al., 2001; Wadsworth & Compas, 2002). However, most of these studies have focused exclusively or predominantly on middle-class White participants (e.g., Compas et al., 2001; Wadsworth & Compas, 2002) which may limit the generalizability of these findings to other groups. Further, the usual pattern of findings for coping adaptiveness does not always generalize to contexts with high levels of uncontrollable and chronic stressors. Further, there is an important need to expand our knowledge on youth coping in the face of stress as well as the determinants of adolescent coping. Two culturally and contextually relevant parenting factors that are particularly important for the development of coping strategies in Black youth are involved, vigilant parenting and supportive, responsive parenting. Furthermore, given that Black youth are disproportionately exposed to community violence exposure, there is a pressing need to understand how violence exposure may impact the parent- child relationship among Black families in disinvested, urban communities. To address the gaps in the previous literature, the current study will examine the moderating role of exposure to community violence on the longitudinal associations among parenting and adolescent coping in Black families. Data for the current were derived from the Risky Contexts and Exposure to Community Violence study in a sample of 284 sixth graders (Mage=11.65 years, SD=0.70, 60% female). While much research on parent-child relationships focuses on the role that parents have on youth coping, the current study also highlights the importance of adolescent coping on parenting behaviors. Further, results from the current study emphasize the role of fathers’ support and responsiveness in youths’ problem focused coping. Finally, the current study observed three themes when examining exposure to community violence as a moderator of the associations between adolescent coping and parenting behaviors: 1) youth coping was associated with parental supportiveness and responsiveness, depending on whether youth reported exposure to community violence 2) when youth use problem focused coping, the likelihood of parents using involved and vigilant parenting may depend on whether youth have reported experiencing victimization, and 3) parents use involved and vigilant parenting strategies widely when youth engage in avoidant coping, though why parents utilize vigilant strategies may vary. A central thread across these findings emphasizes the importance of parental attunement to youth coping.

Download

Share

COinS