The Impact of Poverty and Neighborhood Characterstics on the Mental Health and Parent-Child Closeness in the Black Community: The Protective Role of Black Cultural Strengths

Poverty and negative neighborhood characteristics can be detrimental to the mental health wellbeing of Black people. Yet, there is a lack of understanding of how, why, and for whom such factors impact the mental of the Black community. Using a sample of 1654 Black families from the Fragile Family and Child Wellbeing Study I investigated two models. First, I examined the path from poverty to depression, anxiety, and tested Black cultural strengths, religiosity and neighborhood cohesion as moderators. Second, I examined the path from poverty to parent-child closeness and tested Black cultural strengths, social ties and extended family as moderators. Results from a structural equation path analysis model indicated that material deprivation and mediated of the relationship between poverty and depression/anxiety. Religiosity significantly buffered the effects of poverty on anxiety. Material deprivation and parenting stress were mediators of the relationship between poverty and the parent-child closeness. Extended family support was marginally significant in buffering the effects of poverty on the parent-child relationship for father primary caregivers. Clinical implications from these findings are discussed