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Income Level, Gender, Ethnicity, and Household Composition as Predictors of Children's School‐based Competence
Author(s) -
Patterson Charlotte J.,
Kupersmidt Janis B.,
Vaden Nancy A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1990.tb02794.x
Subject(s) - ethnic group , psychology , socioeconomic status , competence (human resources) , developmental psychology , family income , household income , demography , social psychology , geography , population , sociology , political science , archaeology , anthropology , law
In the United States, being black, male, or growing up in a low‐income and/or single‐parent household have all been identified as risk factors for maladjustment during childhood. Interpretation of these findings is, however, often difficult because of the wellknown associations among these variables. In the present study, we compared predictions of 3 different forms of children's competence from each of these 4 variables. In a sample of 868 black and white elementary school children from 2‐parent and mother‐headed 1‐parent homes, we studied 3 aspects of school‐based competence: conduct, peer relations, and academic achievement. Results showed that although the independent variables accounted for different amounts of variance in each domain of competence, income level and gender were better overall predictors of children's competence in conduct and peer relations than were ethnicity or household composition. Income level and ethnicity were better overall predictors of academic achievement than were gender or household composition, although each of the 4 variables made a significant contribution. Overall, income level and gender were thus the strongest predictors of children's competence. Black children were, however, more likely than white children to live in low‐income homes. Our results thus highlighted some correlates of the unequal distribution of economic resources among black and white children growing up in the United States today.