About this poster

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Panel information
Panel 7. Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

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Structural racism has a disparate impact on the health and wellbeing of Black and Latinx children (Golden, 2021). Structural racism refers to the interaction of systems and institutions that establish racists beliefs about a certain racial group which then translates into institutional policies and practices (Dean & Thorpe Jr., 2022). Parents can play a key role in promoting children’s health and positive parenting practices (e.g. modeling, limit setting) can protect against some of the negative effects of structural racism. A parenting practice that has been shown to be important for Black and Latinx families is ethnic-racial socialization, or how families teach their children about the values, beliefs, and practices that are associated with their ethnic-racial group (Brody et al., 2021). Despite growing evidence linking ethnic-racial socialization to positive child health outcomes, few studies have looked at parents’ own perspectives on how they think ethnic-racial socialization and other parenting practices are linked to their children’s overall health. Similarly, no existing studies have examined parents’ views on how ethnic-racial socialization and other positive parenting practices interact to influence their children’s emotional and physical health, which can provide valuable information to promote child health among minoritized groups. The current study explores how parents are promoting their children’s emotional and physical health, with a specific focus on whether parents are using ethnic-racial socialization strategies or are willing to use them in the future, and seeks to identify the challenges parents are experiencing in supporting their children’s health.

Black parents were recruited from a local church and a state university and Latinx parents were recruited from a local health center. The sample was comprised of 33 parents (62% Black and 38% Latinx). Approximately 82% of the participants were women. Participants were interviewed by two community health workers that ethnically/racially matched the sample’s demographics. The qualitative interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, and lasted 30-90 minutes. Interview questions included asking parents about successes and challenges in promoting their children’s emotional and physical health. In addition, there were questions focused on how parents’ racialized experiences have influenced their parenting practices. Parents were also asked how they viewed racism and ethnic-racial socialization strategies in relation to their children’s health.

A thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes (a) Strategies for Promoting Children’s Physical and Emotional Health, (b) Challenges Promoting Children's Physical & Emotional Health, and (c) Impact of Racism on Parenting and Children's Health. In relation to promotive strategies, the majority of parents (n=31) mentioned actively supporting their children’s physical health through healthy eating, physical activity or sleep. Parents also described supporting children’s emotional health by helping their children manage and express their emotions, as well as helping them develop social skills and prosocial personality qualities. In terms of parenting challenges, in addition to difficulties with promoting their children’s physical and emotional health, parents reported difficulties with managing their own needs (e.g. lack of control and autonomy of their own schedule) and fears as a parent, such as general fears for their children’s safety and well-being. As for the impact of racism, most parents believed that racism had an impact on their parenting decisions and on their children’s health. Although there were some differences in ethnic-racial socialization practices between Black and Latinx parents, parents generally found it helpful to talk to their children about race to increase pride in their racial identity and culture, and prepare their children to deal with prejudice and bias. The findings of this study have implications for culturally relevant parenting approaches that can mitigate the disproportionate impact structural racism has on children’s health and wellbeing.

Author information

Author	Role
Jayxa Kimberly Alonzo, University of South Carolina	Presenting author
Francesca Lupini, University of South Carolina, United States	Non-presenting author
Tracey Goldson, University of South Carolina, United States	Non-presenting author
Isabel R. Jordan, University of South Carolina, United States	Non-presenting author
Fatima Jatoi, University of South Carolina, United States	Non-presenting author
Isabella Mallozzi, University of South Carolina, United States	Non-presenting author
Daniel K. Cooper, University of South Carolina, United States	Non-presenting author

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