THE EFFECTS OF UNEMPLOYMENT ON AFRO-AMERICAN CHILDREN

本研究的目标是研究四个基本问题：(1) 母亲失业对非洲独生子女心理健康的影响 美国母亲及其子女，(2)社会的影响 支持、母子关系的质量和家庭 关于子女对母亲失业反应的决策风格， (3)母亲失业和失业对子女的影响 成就行为、价值观和期望，以及(4) 儿童对失业的因果归因与失业的关系 就业对他们的成就行为、价值观和 期望值。这项研究还将检查几个因素的影响 影响母亲失业反应的认知因素。虽然为数不多 研究考察了父母失业对以下方面的影响 当代儿童，现有的发现证明了 关注失业工人子女的心理健康。 拟议的研究将提供关于 研究不足的群体，可能面临更高的经济风险 失业后的剥夺和心理伤害。会的 洞察那些减轻不利影响的因素 孩子和母亲失业的可能性。 这些主题将是150名失业、单身的非裔美国女性和 他们的7年级和8年级的孩子和75名有工作的单身非洲人- 美国妇女和她们的7年级和8年级的孩子。这项研究 将采用双波纵向设计。母亲和孩子们会 接受两次面谈，间隔5-6个月。其中 将评估的儿童变量包括焦虑、抑郁、 关于教育的价值观和期望，成就行为， 关于工作的价值观和期望，以及关于 失业。社会支持的程度和生活质量 母子关系也将得到评估。在每一次浪潮中， 老师将对孩子所在的学校进行评估 绩效、同伴关系、行为问题和适应性 功能正常。在将被评估的母变量中包括 焦虑、抑郁、自尊、关于个人的图式--各种各样 系统-责备，家庭决策风格，对 关于失业的儿童归因和因果归因。

The goal of this research is to study four basic issues: (1) the effects of maternal job loss on the mental health of single Afro- American mothers and their children, (2) the influence of social support, the quality of the mother-child relationship, and family decision-making style on children's response to maternal job loss, (3) the effects of maternal job loss and unemployment on children's achievement behavior, values, and expectations, and (4) the relationship of children's causal attributions about job loss and employment to their achievement behaviors, values, and expectations. The study also will examine the influence of several cognitive factors on mothers' response to job loss. Though few studies have examined the impact of parental job loss on contemporary children, the findings that are available justify concern about the mental health of children of unemployed workers. The proposed research will provide information about an understudied group that may be at increased risk of economic deprivation and psychological harm following job loss. It will provide insight into those factors that mitigate adverse effects of job loss on children and mothers. The subjects will be 150 unemployed, single Afro-American women and their 7th and 8th grade children and 75 employed, single Afro- American women and their 7th and 8th grade children. The study will use a 2-wave longitudinal design. Mothers and children will be interviewed twice, separated by a period of 5-6 months. Among the child variables that will be assessed are anxiety, depression, values and expectations about education, achievement behavior, values and expectations about work, and causal beliefs about unemployment. The degree of social support an the quality of the mother-child relationship also will be assessed. At each wave, teachers will provide an assessment of the child's school performance, peer relations, behavioral problems, and adaptive functioning. Among the mother variables that will be assessed are anxiety, depression, self-esteem, schema about individual- various system-blame, family decision-making style, expectations for the child and, causal attributions about job loss.