Bethany L. Letiecq

Predictors of Depression Among Low-Income, Nonresidential Fathers:

This article investigates the life conditions that contribute to low-income fathers’ depression and that may jeopardize their relationships with their children. This work is based on a cultural-ecological framework that emphasizes the need to understand these fathers within their larger familial and social contexts. The sample consisted of 127 predominantly African American participants in two urban and rural responsible fatherhood programs. Of the fathers, 56% reported depressive symptoms indicating cause for clinical concern. In addition, fathers’ resource challenges (unemployment; inability to pay full amount of child support order; limited access to reliable transportation; lack of permanent housing; problems with alcohol or drugs; health problems or disability; and criminal conviction history), residence (rural vs. urban), and level of social support were all significant predictors of fathers’ depression. The authors discuss how these findings can be used to guide future programmatic and policy initiatives pertaining to low-income, nonresidential fathers.

Evaluating from the Outside Conducting Cross-Cultural Evaluation Research on an American Indian Reservation

There is limited guidance for conducting competent and responsive cross-cultural evaluation research with American Indian communities. The authors draw on Fisher and Ball’s Tribal Participatory Research Model to highlight ways in which this project is attempting to be culturally appropriate and sensitive as they partner with an American Indian community to implement and evaluate a youth-based initiative. Challenges encountered during the evaluation are shared, as well as the authors’ collective responses to such challenges. Implications for future cross-cultural evaluation researchers are also discussed in light of these experiences.

Depression Among Rural Native American and European American Grandparents Rearing Their Grandchildren

Increasing numbers of grandparents are rearing their grandchildren because of their adult childrens inability to parent. Researchers have begun to document the mental health outcomes of grandparent caregivers in general, yet none have examined the mental health of Native American and European American grandparent caregivers residing in rural communities. To shed light on this topic, the current study examined relationships between degree of rurality; economic, community, and social resources; grandparenting experiences; and depression among 55 rural Native American and European American custodial grandparents. Based on hierarchical regression analyses, the best predictors of depression were grand-parental stress, total time providing primary care to grandchildren, household income, and race. Grandparents experiencing more stress, less time in the role of primary grandparent caregiver, and lower household income reported more depressive symptoms. Moreover, Native American grandparent caregivers reported more depressive symptoms than did their European American counterparts. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Parenting in Violent Neighborhoods African American Fathers Share Strategies for Keeping Children Safe

This qualitative study represents one of the first efforts to examine how African American fathers protect their children from community violence. Eighteen African American biological and “social” fathers of preschoolersin the Washington, DC, metropolitan area participated in focus groups addressing parentingin violent neighborhoods. Fathers described seven protective strategies reflecting three major themes: monitoring children, educating children about safety, and improving community life. These strategies are discussed within the context of African American values, traditions, and neighborhood contextual factors.

Behavior Problems of African American Boys and Girls Attending Head Start Programs in Violent Neighborhoods.

This article examined behavior problems exhibited by African American children attending Head Start centers in violent neighborhoods. Childrens scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/parent form were compared to the mean scores for the CBCLs non-clinical standardization sample on the internalizing, externalizing, and total problem scales. The Head Start childrens scores were not significantly different from the standardization sample on the internalizing scale, but both boys and girls in the study sample had significantly higher scores on the externalizing and total problem scales than their respective gender group in the standardization sample. There were no significant differences in the T scores of boys and girls in this study on any of the three behavior problem scales. The study also examined percentages of boys and girls with behavior problems in the more severe ranges. Higher percentages of boys than girls had severe internalizing problems, while higher percentages of girls than boys had severe externalizing problems. Analyses of total behavior problem scores revealed no significant differences between boys and girls in the severe ranges. Implications of findings for research, practice, and policy are discussed within the sociocultural contexts of the families and communities in the study.

Marital Quality in Interracial Relationships The Role of Sex Role Ideology and Perceived Fairness

African American/White interracial couples are a rapidly growing segment of the population. However, little is known about factors related to marital quality for these couples. The authors examine the relationships between sex role ideology, perception of relationship unfairness, and marital quality among a sample of 76 married African American/White interracial couples from the mid-Atlantic region. The results indicate that interracial couples are similar to same-race couples in some ways. In particular, women, regardless of race, report their marriages to be more unfair to them than do men. Unique experiences in interracial marriages based on ones race or race/gender combination are also identified. African Americans experience more ambivalence about their relationship than their White partners. Furthermore, sex role ideology has a moderating effect on perceived unfairness and marital quality for African American men. Similarities and differences among interracial and same-race marriages are discussed, with recommendations for future research.

Community-based participatory research with Mexican migrants in a new rural destination: A good fit?

In this article, we offer our reflections on our community-based participatory research (CBPR) project in partnership with Mexican migrants in a new rural destination of the Rocky Mountain West. To set the stage for our work, we first present the Montana migration context – a unique context in which the migrant community is hard to define, locate, and engage. Next, we present who we are and how we forged a partnership with Mexican migrants in Montana. We then provide the details of our project – Salud y Comunidad: Latinos en Montana – and reflect on the pragmatic and ethical challenges of using a CBPR approach in this context. Finally, we attempt to reframe some of the tensions and paradoxes inherent in community-based work with vulnerable communities and reflect on the question, ‘is CBPR a good fit?’ We aim for our analysis to contribute a unique perspective to the rich discussions underway about using CBPR to ameliorate health disparities and promote justice in marginalized communities.

Apsáalooke Women's Experiences With Pap Test Screening

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer mortality rates are among the highest in the United States for Northern Plains Native American women compared with white and other Native American women. The aims of Messengers for Health, a community-based participatory research project based on the Apsáalooke (Crow Indian) Reservation, are to decrease cervical cancer screening barriers, improve knowledge regarding screening and prevention, and increase the proportion of women receiving Pap tests. This paper presents results from a survey assessing womens perceptions of the level of comfort and care received by health care providers in their most recent Pap test appointment. METHODS A survey assessing patient communication and satisfaction with their health care providers was conducted with a random sample of 101 Apsáalooke women. Qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to analyze the survey data. RESULTS Women reported both positive and negative experiences with their provider regarding their Pap test appointments. They noted positive experiences when trust was established and when the provider offered information, reassured or encouraged them, was personable, was familiar or consistent, maintained confidentiality, and was a woman. The women reported negative experiences when the examination was too short, when they did not have a consistent or female provider, and when they did not feel comfortable with the providers nonverbal communication. CONCLUSIONS Continued work with both providers and patients is necessary to decrease communication barriers and increase satisfaction with Pap test appointments.

“How Can You Retire When You Still Got a Kid in School?”: Economics of Raising Grandchildren in Rural Areas

Increasingly, grandparents are being called on to rear their grandchildren when parents are unable or unwilling to fulfill their parenting role. These grandparent caregivers often find themselves in an economic bind. Financially, most are at a stage in life where they are looking toward retirement and reduced family spending and are unprepared for their new economic reality as second-time-around caregivers. Here, we use a framework of family financial well-being to examine the economic consequences of rearing grandchildren. Based on family life interviews with 26 grandfamilies residing in Montana, we explore the challenges grandparents experience generating and shifting income streams in later life, the variability in received income, and the array of expected and unexpected expenses incurred as a result of taking in their grandchildren. As custodial grandparents strive for financial well-being, there are few resources—especially in rural areas—to help them navigate these new financial waters.

Social Policies and Families Through an Ecological Lens

Since the last Handbook was published a decade ago, the United States has experienced numerous challenges—all of which have social policy consequences for families. Perhaps the most profound issues to date are the two wars waged after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the ensuing economic downturn. The banking industry’s misuse of subprime loans, the bursting housing bubble, and the resulting foreclosures across the United States have also left many families economically insecure. Moreover, due to the dismantling of federal social safety nets, many families have been left to fend for themselves during a time when unemployment rates have been on the rise. Needless to say, there is great unease as we write this chapter and consider the ways social policies affect families.