Citation

Narine L, Krishnakumar A, Roopnarine JL, Logie C. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2013; 38(10): 1144-1154.

Affiliation

Syracuse University, Syracuse and The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jst059

PMID

23942994

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations among community characteristics, family economic adversity, parents' health beliefs, and parents' and children's health using cross-level mediation analyses. METHODS: Survey data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 1,337 families with children between 3 and 6 years nested within 45 Trinidad and Tobago community clusters. RESULTS: At the individual level, parents' health belief of internality was a significant mediator between family economic adversity, adult health, and children's health. In the cross-level mediation analyses, health belief of internality was a significant mediator between community health problems and children's health. There were between-community variations in the relationship between adult health, health belief of powerful others, and children's health. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong evidence of the role of community and family influences on children's health. Findings indicate the need to use a multilevel analytical approach in studies of children's health.

Language: en