MATERNAL PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, FAMILY PROCESSES, AND CHILD ADJUSTMENT IN RURAL, SINGLE-PARENT, AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES

A family process model was tested, linking adequacy of family financia l resources to academic and psychosocial adjustment among 156 African American 6- to 9-year-old children with single mothers who lived in th e rural South. Seventy five percent of the sample lived in poverty. La ck of adequate financial resources was associated with more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem among mothers. Self-esteem was linked with family routines and mother-child relationship quality. The paths from mother-child relationship quality and family routines to child ac ademic and psychosocial adjustment were mediated by the development of child self-regulation. An alternative partially mediated model improv ed the fit of the data for families with boys.