Social support characteristics among nonclinical African-American and Filipino-American parents with school-age children

This study is the first phase of a project to develop a culturally-appropriate, family-mediated social support intervention program. This phase consisted of in-home interviews with 26 African-American (AF) and 26 Filipino-American (FA) parents who were not receiving counseling or social services for parent-child conflict, and self-reported adequate personal and family functioning. In general, parents were college educated and employed full-time and had house-hold incomes of over $25,000. On average, AF parents were 35 years old, with 4 people in the household, including 2 children (mean age = 10 years). FA parents were older, averaging 45 years, and had 6 people in the household, including 3 children (mean age = 12 years). Mean scores on standardized measures reflected high self-esteem and positive attitudes toward their children and families. Social network size averaged 32 and 38 members for AF and FA mothers respectively, and 24 and 29 members for AF and FA fathers. Most parents reported that fewer than 50% of their network members knew each other. Data also suggested that parents reported a generally positive orientation to utilizing support resources, and favorable perceptions of and satisfaction with support form family and friends. Analyzes revealed that only functional support variables were significantly associated with parent well-being. Study limitations, service implications, and further research directions are discussed.