Poverty, Social Support, and Parental Behavior

The associations among poverty, measures of social support, and parents' reports of punitive and unsupportive behaviors were examined using the National Survey of Families and Households. Analyses revealed a significant interaction between perceived social support and household income: perceived social support was negatively associated with parents' reports of punitive behavior, but mainly when income was low. The amount of help received from others was negatively associated with parents' reports of unsupportive behavior. The study suggests that some forms of social support lower levels of problematic behavior among all parents, whereas other forms of social support are particularly beneficial to parents living in poverty.