CONFIDANT SUPPORT AND MATERNAL DISTRESS - PREDICTORS OF PARENTING PRACTICES FOR DIVORCED MOTHERS

Following divorce, mothers may seek support for their parenting effort s. This study investigates confidant support from friends, family, and intimate partners, along with maternal distress, as predictors of par enting practices for divorced women. In a multimethod study of 138 mot hers and their support confidants, we employed a measure of observed s upport that included emotional support, supportive behaviors, and lika bility of the support provider. These qualities were scored from dyadi c problem-solving discussions of the mother's personal and parenting p roblems. Our main hypothesis was supported: Controlling for maternal d istress and confidant negativity, observed confidant support predicted higher levels of effective parenting practices. Confidant negativity was associated with maternal distress, and we found a marginal relatio nship between maternal distress and parenting. Confidant negativity ha d an indirect association with parenting by predicting lower levels of observed support. Overall, 36% of the variance in parenting practices and 24% of the Variance in observed support was explained in a multim ethod structural equation model specified with minimal overlap.