Authority, autonomy, and parent–adolescent conflict and cohesion: A study of adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and European backgrounds.

Abstract

This study examined whether parent-child conflict and cohesion during adolescence vary among families characterized as having different cultural traditions regarding parental authority and individual autonomy. Approximately 1,000 American adolescents from immigrant and native-born families with Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and European backgrounds reported on their beliefs, expectations, and relationships with parents; longitudinal data were available for approximately 350 of these youths. Despite holding different beliefs about parental authority and individual autonomy, adolescents from all generations and cultural backgrounds reported similar levels of conflict and cohesion with their parents. Discussion focuses on the relative importance of cultural beliefs and social settings in shaping the nature of parent-child relationships during adolescence.

The roles of respect for parental authority and parenting practices in parent-child conflict among African American, Latino, and European American families.

“…Most important, though, both mother and daughter reports of conflict were examined in the present investigation. Our findings for girls' reports of conflict were consistent with those of Fuligni (1998), indicating that preadolescent girls and young adolescents may vary in their respect for parental authority, but such variations do not influence the nature of the conflict they report with parents. Inclusion of maternal reports clearly extended the delineation of the role of respect in parent-child conflict.…”

“…If conflict in parent-child relationships is linked to autonomy and perceptions of parental authority, then conflict may have a cultural basis (Fuligni, 1998). Specifically, children's respect for parental authority may be particularly salient to conflict in African American and Latino families.…”

“…For the most part, these investigations have been descriptive and qualitative in nature and involve infants and young children. In one of the few studies to address these issues with older children, Fuligni (1998) asked adolescents of different cultural backgrounds whether they thought they should argue with their parents when they disagree. Non-European teenagers (Mexican and Philipino) were the least willing to openly contradict their parents; in addition, Latino adolescents felt that it was inappropriate to argue with or talk back to parents.…”

“…Research investigating conflictual interactions between parents and their children during this developmental time period is sparse at best. In addition, despite a growing literature on families of different ethnic and economic backgrounds (e.g., Cauce, Hiraga, Graves, & Gonzales, 1996;Conger, Ge, Elder, Lorenz, & Simons, 1994;Fuligni, 1998;McLoyd & Smith, 2002;Smetana & Gaines, 1999) Children who enter adolescence with more conflictual relationships have been found to be at greater risk for more severe parent-child problems and poorer child outcomes during adolescence (Steinberg, 2001). In prior studies, both positive and negative emotional expressions and conflicts were more common in mother-child than in father-child interactions (Russell & Russell, 1987), a pattern that persists into adolescence (Collins & Laursen, 1992).…”

Advancing Our Knowledge of ADHD in Latino Children: Psychometric and Cultural Properties of Spanish-Versions of Parental/Family Functioning Measures

“…These parents also keep discipline strategies consistent and often favor spanking and other forms of corporal punishment (see Halgunseth et al 2006 for a review; Monzo and Rueda 2006). In comparison, parents who develop strong associations with mainstream Anglo views tend to value independence and autonomous behavior over the closeness of the family and place less emphasis on rigid discipline and hierarchy among family members (Fuligni 1998;Okagaki and Sternberg 1993). While the Anglo values of independence and autonomy may lead to some aspects of positive child adjustment, they also may lead to poorer parental monitoring and more inconsistent discipline relative to the rigid discipline and family hierarchy seen in families who remain loyal to traditional Latino values (Halgunseth et al 2006).…”