Future fears: Discrimination, parental worries, and the role of social support from a partner
Alicea, Alia Renee
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129613
Description
Title
Future fears: Discrimination, parental worries, and the role of social support from a partner
Author(s)
Alicea, Alia Renee
Issue Date
2025-05-05
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
McNeil Smith, Shardé
Committee Member(s)
Marchand, Aixa D
Department of Study
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Discipline
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
racial discrimination
parental racial worries
social support
parent gender
family planning
reproductive decision-making
Theory of Planned Behavior
African American families
Language
eng
Abstract
Racial discrimination is a pervasive issue that affects multiple domains of life for Black Americans. These experiences not only impact individuals in the present but can also shape how they think about and plan for the future. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991), this study explores whether racial discrimination influences reproductive decision-making. Given the importance of relational and individual factors in family planning decisions, this study also considers whether the impact of discrimination differs based on the level of support from one’s romantic partner during stressful experiences or gender. Specifically, it examines: (1) whether racial discrimination is associated with parental racial worries about future children, and (2) whether partner social support and gender moderate this association. This study utilized secondary data from the National Couples’ Health and Time Study (NCHAT). The analytic sample included 166 Black adults aged 45 or younger who were not intending to have a child in the next year. Analyses conducted using the Hayes PROCESS macro in SPSS revealed that higher levels of racial discrimination were significantly associated with increased parental racial worries. However, neither partner support nor participant gender were significant moderators. These findings support research on anticipatory racial stress and highlight the impact of racism on reproductive decision-making.
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