768 - Disparities by Nativity, Race, and Ethnicity in Emotional Support for Parenting: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the 2022 National Survey on Children’s Health

Publication Number: 768.4241

Anthony L. Bui, University of Washington/Seattle Children's, Seattle, WA, United States; Alexis Ball, Seattle Children's, North Bend, WA, United States; Elizabeth Dawson-Hahn, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; K. Casey Lion, University of Washington/ Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States; Tumaini Rucker. Coker, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States

Background: Family, friends, peer groups, and service providers promote the psychosocial well-being of children in immigrant families. Despite their protective role, little is known about disparities in emotional support that immigrant parents receive while caring for children.

Objective: To examine disparities in the receipt of emotional support for parenting that exist across nativity, race, and ethnicity.

Design/Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health, a mail and web-based nationally representative survey of parents. We used logistic regressions to quantify odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of parents receiving day-to-day emotional support with parenting or raising children across nativity, using 3rd or greater generational status (i.e., immigration status) as the reference, and across race and ethnicity, using White children as the reference, the largest group in the study. We controlled for sex, age, language, income, and parental education. We included insurance for a sensitivity analysis.

Results: Among the 51,522 children in the study, 80.2% were 3rd generation or greater, 18.0% were 2nd generation, and 1.8% were 1st generation. Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of the sample across the overall population and primary outcome. The majority (81.1%) of the sample reported having emotional support with parenting. Adjusted primary analyses show that parents of 1st and 2nd generation children have 0.28 [95% CI, 0.24-0.33] and 0.48 [0.45-0.51] times the odds of emotional support compared to parents of 3rd generation and greater children (Figure 1). Children from Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic families have lower odds compared to White families. Adjusted secondary analyses showed that parents of 1st and 2nd generation children have lower odds of support from healthcare workers and counselors (Figure 2). Asian families were less likely to receive support from a counselor. Controlling for insurance did not alter the results.

Conclusion(s): Parents of 1st- and 2nd-generation children and of racial and ethnic minoritized groups have lower odds of having emotional support for parenting compared to later generation and White children, respectively, which can adversely impact psychosocial well-being. Limitations include the inability to further disaggregate ethnicity and language and nonresponse and recall bias. Future efforts should explore why disparities in emotional support for parenting exist across immigrant communities to develop culturally responsive interventions.

Table 1 | Demographic Characteristics of Overall Study Sample and Primary Outcome
Notes: 1AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; 2NHOPI = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; 3FPL = Federal Poverty Line

Figure 1 | Adjusted Odds Ratios of Parents Receiving Emotional Support for Parenting_x000B_with 95% Confidence Intervals
Note: AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native, NHOPI = Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander, PLOE = Primary Language Other than English, FPL = Federal Poverty Line, HS = High School, GED = General Education Development

Figure 2 | Adjusted Odds Ratios of Parents Receiving Emotional Support for Parenting from a Health Care Provider and Mental Health Counselor with 95% Confidence Intervals
Note: AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native, NHOPI = Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander, PLOE = Primary Language Other than English, FPL = Federal Poverty Line, HS = High School, GED = General Education Development