Citation

Zilberstein K. Clin. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 2016; 21(3): 359-367.

Affiliation

A Home Within, USA Smith College School for Social Work, USA ekaren@me.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1359104516630774

PMID

26888155

Abstract

Class and income level influence parenting styles and values, yet are rarely discussed in treatment approaches and parenting interventions with families. In this soapbox article, I argue that discrepancies in outcome, retention, and participation could be fruitfully addressed through a fuller understanding of the needs, realities, and parenting goals of families struggling with financial disadvantage. I compare and contrast ethnographic studies of parenting in low socioeconomic environments with the types of strategies and interventions commonly advanced in parent training programs and suggest that clinicians must become more aware of the cultural and socioeconomic overtones of those interventions in determining whether, how, and when to use them with families.

Language: en