This study seeks to assess the impact of maternal psychological well-being on the depression and anxiety levels and social withdrawal in a sample of young African American and Caucasian adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14 (N = 854) using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 child sample. Analyses using structural equation modeling found (a) that the duration of time mothers spend in poverty strongly predicts maternal mastery and depressive symptoms and (b) that the effects of poverty duration on adolescent outcomes are mediated primarily by maternal depression and sense of mastery even after controlling for parenting behavior and other familial background characteristics. (Contains 4 notes, 3 tables, and 2 figures.)