PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG SINGLE, EMPLOYED, BLACK MOTHERS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR YOUNG-CHILDREN

This study investigated the relationship of psychological distress to mothers' perceptions of their 3- and 4-year-old children using data ga thered from a sample of 111 single employed black mothers with low inc ome. Findings revealed that parenting a boy child was associated with higher levels of depressive symptomatology, which, in turn, was associ ated with more negative perceptions of children, especially boys. Howe ver, higher educational attainment appears to mitigate the effects of psychological distress on young black children, regardless of sex of c hild and the extent of the mother's involvement in the paid labor forc e. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.