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Differentiating The Impact Of Family And Friend Social Support For Single Mothers On Parenting And Internalizing Symptoms, Xiang Zhou, Zoe E. Taylor

Department of Educational Studies Faculty Publications

There is growing interest in what helps parents maintain good parenting when they encounter stressors. The United States has the world’s highest rate of single-parent households. These families often experience higher adversity and, in turn, mental distress. Supportive relationships are widely recognized as indispensable for healthy psychological well-being; however, the sources of support have often not been differentiated in research. The present study investigated the relative roles of family support and friend support in predicting single mothers’ internalizing symptoms and parenting support. The sample included 200 single mothers from a Mid- west state recruited during Fall 2019. Hierarchical linear regressions …