UNEMPLOYMENT AND WORK INTERRUPTION AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN SINGLE MOTHERS - EFFECTS ON PARENTING AND ADOLESCENT SOCIOEMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING

Using interview data from a sample of 241 single African American moth ers and their seventh- and eighth-grade children, this study tests a m odel of how 2 economic stressors, maternal unemployment and work inter ruption, influence adolescent socioemotional functioning. In general, these economic stressors affected adolescent socioemotional functionin g indirectly, rather than directly, through their impact on mothers' p sychological functioning and, in turn, parenting behavior and mother-c hild relations. Current unemployment, but not past work interruption, had a direct effect on depressive symptomatology in mothers. As expect ed, depressive symptomatology in mothers predicted more frequent mater nal punishment of adolescents, and this relation was fully mediated by mothers' negative perceptions of the maternal role. More frequent mat ernal punishment was associated with increased cognitive distress and depressive symptoms in adolescents, and consistent with predictions, t hese relations were partially mediated by adolescents' perceptions of the quality of relations with their mothers. Increased availability of instrumental support, as perceived by mothers, predicted fewer depres sive symptoms in mothers, less punishment of adolescents, and less neg ativity about the maternal role. Both economic stressors were associat ed with higher levels of perceived financial strain in mothers, which in turn predicted adolescents' perceptions of economic hardship. Adole scents who perceived their families as experiencing more severe econom ic hardship reported higher anxiety, more cognitive distress, and lowe r self-esteem.