| Neighborhood and home environments play crucial roles in family life by supporting families, reducing family isolation, encouraging group values, and contributing additional resources (J. Garbarino & A. Crouter, 1978). Low resource environments experienced by families in poverty may strain family functioning (V. McLoyd, 1994). Mothers with intellectual disability are a subgroup of families in poverty that are particularly vulnerable to strains in environmental conditions. Most research of mothers with intellectual disability has documented factors related to inadequacy in caregiving, incidence of developmental delay in children, and maternal psychological disorder. Little is known about the role of the neighborhood environment in families with a mother with intellectual disability. The purpose of this study was to examine the following in low income mothers with and without intellectual disability: (a) the relationship of contextual environments and maternal perceptions of social supports and (b) the relationship of contextual environments and maternal provision of physical and emotional stimulation for a child in the home environment.;This study utilized the methodology of secondary analysis of three existing databases (B. Keltner, 1993; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1993a; Jefferson County Coroner Office/Medical Examiner Office (JCC/MEO), 1990). The sample consisted of 100 low income mothers with and without intellectual disability. Data from Keltner's (1993) data set included family environment variables, maternal perceptions of social supports, and maternal provision of physical and emotional stimulation of a child in the home environment. The U.S. Census (1993a) data provided neighborhood environment characteristics (e.g., population density, families with children, families in poverty, ethnic origins, educational levels of females, female and adult employment, dual and single parent families, and median family income). Another neighborhood environment characteristic (i.e., violent crime rate) was provided by the JCC/MEO (1990) data.;Findings revealed the following in low income mothers with and without intellectual disability: (a) Contextual environment factors do influence maternal perceptions of social supports, and (b) contextual environment factors do influence maternal provision of physical and emotional stimulation of a child in the home environment. The conceptual framework was adapted from the Bronfenbrenner ecological model of human development that organized links between contextual environments and social supports and provision of physical and emotional stimulation of a child in the home. Implications were derived from the findings for nursing practice, education, and research. Further research is needed to explore the influence of environment on mothers with intellectual disability and their families. |
