Mothers' perceptions of neighborhood violence and mother-reported monitoring of African American children: An examination of the moderating role of perceived support

This prospective study examined the association between perceived neighborhood violence and maternal monitoring and the moderating role of 2 sources of social support (coparents and friends/neighbors) among low-income African American single mothers. Mothers' ratings of neighborhood violence were associated with monitoring both concurrently and longitudinally; however, this association was qualified by each source of social support. When neighborhood violence is perceived as being high by mothers, high levels of social support from coparents and from friends and neighbors are associated with more maternal monitoring. The findings point to the importance of understanding the social context in which African American single mothers live when developing and implementing parenting prevention and intervention programs targeting high-risk families.