EARLY PARENTHOOD IN A COMMUNITY CONTEXT: NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS, RACE-ETHNICITY, AND PARENTING STRESS

Research has highlighted the role of intrapersonal and family characteristics on stress, but less attention has been paid to the potential influence of the community context and racial-ethnic differences in early parental experiences. Using an ecological model, this study examines the impact of neighborhood-level social disorder and social cohesion on parenting stress and whether this is universal across mothers of different race-ethnicities in a sample of mothers of young children in large U.S. cities. Study findings show that neighborhood context is significantly associated with parenting stress and minority parents experience less stress than While parents in higher-disordered neighborhoods. Findings highlight the need to improve community conditions, social support, and resources to reduce parenting stress. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.