Longitudinal Associations between Parenting Behaviors and Familism among Mexican American Adolescents
By: Victoria Chou
Department: Psychology
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jeff Cookston
Familism is a cultural value that prioritizes the family and has been related to positive outcomes among Mexican American youth. My study examines links among parenting behaviors and Mexican American adolescents’ endorsement of familism values over time. Specifically, I examine relations between parenting behavior, congruence of familism beliefs among parents, and changes in adolescent familism from age 12 to 15 among stepfamilies and intact families. Participants included 194 Mexican American families, including adolescents (M age = 12.88, 53% female) and their parents, who were mothers, fathers, and stepfathers. I use structural equation modeling to observe whether parenting behavior and parental familism beliefs are associated with changes in adolescent endorsement of familism values over time from when adolescents are 12 to when they are 15. Through my methods, I aim to contribute to the growing body of familism research by highlighting how stepfamily relations impact the trajectories of familism development among adolescents.