Association of Financial Resources with Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment in African American Families

The association of mothers’ report of the adequacy of family financial resources with African American mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptoms was assessed. Findings for families with male adolescents revealed that mothers’ report of the adequacy of families’ financial resources was linked to mothers’ and adolescents’ depressive symptomatology and mothers’ optimism. Mothers’ report of the adequacy of family financial resources was positively associated with family routine. Mothers’ optimism was also positively associated with family routine and mediated the association of family financial resources with family routine. Findings for families with female adolescents revealed that family resources were positively associated with family routine. Explanations for the differences in the findings for families with male or female adolescents were discussed. The need for more research assessing the processes that mediate the relations of families’ financial resources with African American adolescents’ and parents’ well-being was discussed.