Development of the Hassles of Environmental Poverty Instrument

Abstract

Contemporary research has shown that chronic hassles can be as debilitating as acute stress and may be more of a determinant in the development of mental and physical disorders. In fact, frequency and intensity of hassles can be better predictors of stress responses than major life events. Although daily hassles have been shown to be population specific, existing measures of hassles do not distinguish between the hassles that impact men and those that impact women, nor have they been normed on populations that are poor. The Hassles of Environmental Poverty (HOEP) Scale is a 74-item instrument designed to assess the stresses of daily mothering within the context of poverty. Items on the scale address mothering stressors with a level of detail not currently available in existing stress scales. In the paper, the authors report out the results of statistical analysis that were done on the field test respondents. The results indicated that the HOEP Scale can legitimately be used for practice and research purposes.     

Longitudinal relations among parenting daily hassles,child rearing,and prosocial and aggressive behaviors in Turkish children

The present study was designed to examine the longitudinal relations between parenting daily hassles and young children's later prosocial and aggressive behaviors, as well as the mediating role of parenting practices in a non‐Western society. The final sample was 159 middle class Turkish school age children (45.3% girls, M _age= 84.69 months, 76.9% from public school, 23.1% from private school in Bolu, Ankara, and İstanbul) and their mothers. Overall, we found longitudinal evidence that parenting daily hassles, warmth, and physical punishment were significantly and differentially associated with children's prosocial and aggressive behaviors 3 years later. The present findings extend our understanding of the interplay of parenting and stress in predicting children's prosocial and aggressive development in a non‐Western culture.     

Youth perceptions of neighborhood hassles and resources: A mixed method analysis

Empirical investigations exploring the processes and mechanisms of neighborhood influences on child and youth development are needed to contribute to the growing body of research on neighborhood as a context for development. Using a mixed method design, this study examined the relationship between structurally identified resources in three urban public housing neighborhoods, youth perceptions and experiences of resources, and youth report of neighborhood hassles and cohesion. Survey data from 153 ethnically and culturally diverse youth between 6th and 8th grade were analyzed using regression analyses; constant comparative analysis was used to code interviews from a subsample of 22 youth. Results indicated an inverse relationship between the number of neighborhood resources and the level of daily hassles youth report. Analysis of mixed method results further highlights the importance of young people's perceptions of neighborhood influences.     

THE INFLUENCE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY ON INFORMAL SUPPORTS

No abstract available for this article.