The impact of kin support on urban American Indian families

Scholars believe that family ties extending out to previous generations, called kin support, may have allowed American Indians to withstand traumatic events. Although a series of traumatic and historical events disrupted the social structures of family life, kin support was found to be a major facto...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child & family social work 2014-11, Vol.19 (4), p.432-442
Main Authors: Limb, Gordon E., Shafer, Kevin, Sandoval, Katrina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Indians
Americans
Development Strategies
Families & family life
Family (Sociological Unit)
Family life
family support
Indigenous culture
Intervention
Kinship
kinship care
Marital status
minority ethnic families
Mothers
Native North Americans
Poverty
race
Research and Development
research in practice
Social structure
Social support
Social work
Trauma
U.S.A
Urban Areas
Well Being
Whites
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Summary:Scholars believe that family ties extending out to previous generations, called kin support, may have allowed American Indians to withstand traumatic events. Although a series of traumatic and historical events disrupted the social structures of family life, kin support was found to be a major factor in the survival of American Indians. This study utilized the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to compare American Indians and whites (n = 1227) in factors that impact kin support. While urban American Indian mothers were similar to whites in a number of elements, American Indian mothers that were not married, fell below the poverty threshold, were younger in age and co‐resided with kin were more likely than their white counterparts to receive kin support. Implications for urban American Indian mothers suggest that maintaining their role as kin keeper may serve as an intrinsic reward and motivation for caring for kin. The role of a kin keeper may also promote the unique contribution in their families and the preservation of their culture. Given the minimal research in this area, results of this study can be used to guide future research and the development of intervention strategies for practitioners working with American Indian families.
ISSN:1356-7500
1365-2206
DOI:10.1111/cfs.12041