The overarching goal of the proposed research is to examine associations between family use of public assistance benefits, family contexts, and the development of low-income children and adolescents. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, this work will address three specific aims: 1) to examine unique relations between parents'use of public assistance programs, including income support (i.e., TANF) and in-kind support (i.e., food stamps), and children's physical health, mental health, and cognitive development, 2) to examine whether these relations vary according to the timing and duration of program use, and 3) to investigate family-level mediators and moderators of relations between public assistance benefits and children's developmental outcomes. A variety of analytic techniques will be employed to address these goals, including propensity score analysis, latent curve modeling, finite mixture modeling, and structural equation modeling. Results of this research will expand existing information concerning how public assistance benefits received by low-income families relate to children's development, provide a nuanced examination of how timing and duration of benefit use alter these relationships, and illuminate developmental processes through which macro-level policies can affect children's development.

Public Health Relevance

It is widely documented that low-income children are at greater risk for experiencing social-emotional, physical and academic difficulties than their middle class counterparts. This study examines relations between public assistance benefits available to low-income families and children's mental health, physical health, and cognitive development. This work will contribute to the growing body of knowledge that informs policies and practices designed to optimize developmental outcomes among low-income children.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32HD069121-01A1
Application #
8255137
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F16-B (20))
Program Officer
King, Rosalind B
Project Start
2012-06-01
Project End
2014-05-31
Budget Start
2012-06-01
Budget End
2013-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$49,214
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Austin
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
170230239
City
Austin
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
78712
Crosnoe, Robert; Purtell, Kelly M; Davis-Kean, Pamela et al. (2016) The selection of children from low-income families into preschool. Dev Psychol 52:599-612
Crosnoe, Robert; Ansari, Arya; Purtell, Kelly M et al. (2016) Latin American Immigration, Maternal Education, and Approaches to Managing Children's Schooling in the United States. J Marriage Fam 78:60-74
Ansari, Arya; Purtell, Kelly; Gershoff, Elizabeth T (2016) Parenting Gains in Head Start as a Function of Initial Parenting Skill. J Marriage Fam 78:1195-1207
Gershoff, Elizabeth T; Ansari, Arya; Purtell, Kelly M et al. (2016) Changes in parents' spanking and reading as mechanisms for Head Start impacts on children. J Fam Psychol 30:480-91
Purtell, Kelly M; Gershoff, Elizabeth T (2015) Fast Food Consumption and Academic Growth in Late Childhood. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 54:871-7