The study proposes to examine parenting behavior in a normative, ethnically diverse sample of African-Americans, Hispanic, and White/Non-Hispanic adolescents. While parenting has received much attention from researchers, the majority of studies have focused on middle class White families. When research has examined parenting in minority groups, it has tended to narrowly focus on economically """"""""high risk"""""""" families (Cause, Ryan-Finn, and Grove, in press). As such, little is known about the role and effects of parenting in more normative, ethnically diverse populations. Specifically, three dimensions of parenting behavior and the parent child relationship are assessed: Parental warmth, parental control, and parent-child conflict. In addition, a variety of child outcomes are measured, including self-competence, behavior problems, and depression. It should be noted that the model is based on the interaction between parenting, culture, and environmental factors, a quality which sets it apart from most past research. First, rather than focus on mean differences between ethnic groups (i.e., statistical main effects), the focus is on how the effects of these parenting behaviors differ across groups (i.e., interactions/moderators). Second, it is hypothesized that other factors, namely the neighborhood environment and peer problem behavior will also influence the effect of parenting behaviors. For example, a level of parental control which may be excessive in a suburban community may be associated with some positive outcomes for children in an urban neighborhood. Finally, it is hypothesized that these patterns will change across adolescence. In essence, as youth mature, parenting must accommodate the need for increased autonomy, while at the same time properly reflect the environment in which the child and family live. Methodologically, the proposal consists of two complementary sub-studies. The first consists of a large, school survey of middle/high school aged adolescents. Each of the youth will report on their own behavior, and separately rate the parenting behavior of their mother and father/father-equivalent (for two parent homes). The second involves home interviews with smaller sample of 7th grade youth and their parent(s), and includes a 1-year follow-up. It should be noted that detailed information from and about fathers is an important aspects of this project; such information will not only assure the normative quality of the data, but will also help to address the relative minimal information which is known about the unique impact and role of fathers in ethnic minority families (McLoyd, 1990).
| Walker-Barnes, Chanequa J; Mason, Craig A (2004) Delinquency and substance use among gang-involved youth: the moderating role of parenting practices. Am J Community Psychol 34:235-50 |
| Walker-Barnes, C J; Mason, C A (2001) Ethnic differences in the effect of parenting on gang involvement and gang delinquency: a longitudinal, hierarchical linear modeling perspective. Child Dev 72:1814-31 |
