Social support, locus of control, and parenting in three low-income groups of mothers: black teenagers, black adults, and white adults.

TLDR: These prediction models suggest that in 2 of the groups of low-income women, social ties to significant others were the linkages through which child-rearing information flowed to affect parenting behavior.

Abstract: Mother's social support, their instrumental use of extended family members and of professionals for help, and their sense of personal control were examined as predictors of parenting skill in 3 groups of low-income women. Separate regression models were generated for black adult mothers, white adult mothers, and black teen mothers, all of whom had at least 1 infant. Black teen and white adult mothers who sought help with child-rearing problems from extended family members were more skillful parents. Among white mothers, use of professionals for help with child-rearing problems and mothers' sense of internal control were also significant predictors. Black adult mothers' parenting skill was predicted only by locus of control. These prediction models suggest that in 2 of the groups, social ties to significant others were the linkages through which child-rearing information flowed to affect parenting behavior.