The relationship between single-parent status and parenting capacities in mothers of youth with chronic health conditions: The mediating role of income

Objective: To retrospectively examine the relationship of single-parent status to parenting capacity variables in mothers of youth with a chronic health condition. Methods: Parental overprotection, perceived vulnerability, and parenting stress were assessed in 383 mothers (308 married and 75 single parents) of youth with one of six chronic health conditions (i.e., type 1 diabetes, asthma, cancer, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, or sickle cell disease). Results: Single mothers evidenced higher levels of both perceived vulnerability and parenting stress, but not overprotection, than married parents. These differences disappeared in the presence of income as a predictor. Conclusions: Single parents appear to evidence differences in parenting capacity; however, low income appears to account in large part for the higher level of risk associated with single-parent status.