Ethnicity, Parenting, and Adolescent Adjustment

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the proposed 3-year project, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) will be used to: (1) examine developmental patterns of psychological well-being and behavioral risk for adolescents from four ethnic/racial groups (Anglo Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans) and for subgroups of Hispanic and Asian American youth; (2) examine the equivalence of Add Health measures of parenting and adolescent psychosocial adjustment across these four ethnic/racial groups and across subgroups of Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans; (3) examine the relations between parenting practices and adolescent adjustment within and across ethnic/racial groups; (4) test an ecological model of adolescent psychosocial adjustment within and across ethnic/racial groups. In Phase 1, preliminary analyses will be conducted related to the measurement of ethnicity, parenting practices, and adolescent psychosocial adjustment; additionally, ethnic differences in parenting practices, adolescent psychological well being, and behavioral risk will be examined. In Phase 2, the equivalence of the Add Health measures of parenting and adolescent psychosocial adjustment will be examined across ethnic groups and subgroups, and ethnic/racial differences in the relations between parenting practices and adolescent adjustment will be examined. Anomalous findings will be elucidated in targeted focus groups with members of the relevant groups and subgroups. In Phase 3, structural models that relate ecological variables to parenting practices and to adolescent psychosocial adjustment will be tested within and across ethnic/racial groups and subgroups.