Impacts of Children’s Delinquency on Maternal Distress Among Low-Income Families: Postmodern Theoretical Perspective

This study investigates the influence of children’s delinquency on maternal distress among low-income families using a postmodern theoretical perspective. The data used in this study came from the third wave of the Welfare, Children, and Families project, which is a longitudinal study conducted in three U.S. cities, namely Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, with N = 1835. The ages of the children range from 5 to 18 years old. The analysis of the data using regression suggests children’s delinquency significantly affects maternal distress. The study indicates that employment and religion have positive influences on maternal distress. This study underlines the importance of a postmodern theoretical perspective in the assessment and treatment phases of distress problems among mothers with low-income and leads to practical implications.