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Household Challenges (HC) such as parental separation and incarceration, domestic violence, and living with family members with mental illness or substance abuse issues have been associated with various negative health and mental health conditions. Limited studies examined the link between household challenges and positive mental health among youths of color and the mechanisms affecting the relationship. Flourishing is an indicator of positive mental health that encompasses broad domains of well-being beyond the mere absence of mental illness. This study examined 1) the association between household challenges and flourishing; and 2) mediating effects of parental aggravation (PA) and their perceived health (PH) status on this relationship among the nationally representative youths of color.
Methods:
Path analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in Mplus 8.8 on a sample of youths of color aged 12~17 (N=3,932) from the 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health. We examined the pathways from HC (parental divorce, incarceration, domestic violence, family mental illness, and substance abuse) to youth flourishing (curiosity in learning, self-regulation, resilience, and school functioning) via PA (perceived difficulty with parenting and child problems, anger toward the child) and PH. PH was assessed through a single item with response categories ranging from Poor (0) to Excellent (4). The weighted least squares (WLSMV) estimator was used for the analysis, and the indirect effects were assessed using the bias-corrected bootstrapped standard errors.
Results:
The structural model yielded a good model fit (χ2(78) =14245.996, p < .001, CFI = .97, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .03). All factor loadings exceeded 0.44 and were statistically significant (p < .001). HC was significantly negatively associated with youth flourishing both directly (ß= -.06, p < .05) and indirectly via the PA (ß = -.03, p < .001, 95% CI = -.132 to -.082). PA was positively associated with youth flourishing via PH (ß = -.61, p < .001, 95% CI = -0.037 to -0.016). The path between HC and flourishing via two mediators was also significant (ß = -.01, p < .001, 95% CI = -0.014 to -0.006). The model accounted for 49% of the variance in flourishing.
Conclusions:
The results highlight the importance of supporting parents of color who may face various adversities stemming from structural inequalities through interventions that can improve parents’ emotional regulation. Additionally, health interventions targeting parental aggravation may also have benefits in promoting the flourishing of youths of color living in a challenging household environment.