Beyond Hardship: Ethnic Variations in Financial Stress, Neighborhood Support, and Father-Child Outcomes

Background
Latino fathers often encounter systemic barriers that undermine their financial security and well-being, ultimately affecting child behavioral health. Although financial stress is a recognized risk factor, the potential influence of neighborhood social support—particularly for Latino fathers—remains underexplored. Research frequently overlooks the intersectional experiences of Latino compared to non-Hispanic White fathers. This study addresses this gap by examining how financial challenges and perceived neighborhood social support relate to paternal well-being and youth behavioral outcomes, comparing Latino and White fathers to uncover any ethnic differences in these processes.

Methods
Data were derived from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). The analytic sample comprised 61 Latino and 63 White fathers. Key measures included: (1) father-reported demographics (age, education); (2) financial challenges (a composite index of financial concerns and employment-seeking status); (3) perceived neighborhood social support (a four-item scale capturing intervention/cohesion); (4) father well-being (a nine-item depressive symptoms/affect scale). Child behavioral health was assessed through seven mother-reported subscales (e.g., mild behavioral issues, emotional challenges, physical aggression, cognitive issues). Multivariate regression analyses were performed separately for Latino and White fathers, estimating how financial challenges, neighborhood support, and father well-being relate to youth outcomes, adjusting for demographics.

Results
Financial concerns were inversely associated with well-being for both Latino (b = -0.088, p = .040) and White (b = -0.131, p = .040) fathers. By contrast, actively seeking employment was linked to improved well-being for both Latinos (b = 0.402, p = .031) and Whites (b = 0.769, p = .001). Neighborhood social support showed contrasting associations by ethnicity: it was negatively linked to well-being for Latino fathers (b = -0.315, p = .027) but unrelated to well-being for White fathers (p = .986). In terms of youth outcomes, Latino families exhibited lower child physical aggression with higher neighborhood support (b = -0.527, p = .033), yet a marginal rise in mild behavioral issues (p = .082). For White families, neighborhood support correlated with elevated verbal problems (b = 3.763, p = .011) and marginally greater delinquent behavior (p = .062). Latino fathers’ well-being was connected to fewer youth cognitive issues (b = 3.006, p = .004) and marginally lower physical aggression (p = .052), whereas White fathers’ well-being had no marked associations with child outcomes in these models.

Conclusions
Findings illuminate shared and unique patterns among Latino and White fathers regarding financial stress, neighborhood support, and well-being. Financial strain broadly reduced paternal well-being, yet neighborhood support appeared culturally contingent, possibly representing stress or obligation for Latino fathers rather than a protective factor. The stronger association between Latino paternal well-being and child outcomes underscores the importance of father mental health in this group—potentially reflecting cultural norms and obligations. Practitioners should adopt culturally attuned approaches that address financial hardship while recognizing that neighborhood-level support may not uniformly buffer stress. Policy priorities include economic supports for fathers and targeted community programs mindful of ethnic variations. Future research would benefit from longitudinal analyses and more nuanced measures of social support to capture the complexity of fatherhood experiences in diverse contexts.