Parenting and social support: Caregiver strain in social context for low-income Black mothers.

Parents of children with mental health needs experience unique caregiver strain. Black mothers report reducing employment and missing workdays due to their children's behavioral difficulties and concern regarding their greater probability (compared with White children) of being diagnosed with behavioral problems, particularly their sons. Research highlights social support as a cultural asset serving a protective role in Black families. Literature on caregiver strain and support has been primarily limited to surveys that do not adequately capture the complexity, context, richness, and nuance of these experiences. An in-depth thematic analysis of semistructured interviews to advance the understanding of the strain experienced by low-income Black mothers (N = 16) parenting children with a disruptive behavior disorder (81% male) was conducted. A conceptual framework-caregiver strain in social context-informed by prior research and anchored in the data evolved iteratively and organically. For most mothers (n = 14), chronic strain was embedded within complex experiences of parenting, social support, and societal context (e.g., poverty, neighborhood disinvestment and safety concerns, racism). Social support was critical but insufficient to meet their needs, particularly among mothers describing greater levels of strain. The framework developed may serve as a clinical tool to understand, map, gather data, and highlight areas to counter marginalization and biases and access support for Black mothers parenting children with special needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).