Abstract
This paper examines ethnic differences in the affective meaning of parental control in a sample of 288 adolescents. Participants rated their affective reaction to a sample of parental control behaviors. Principal components analyses of these affective ratings found general support for three broad dimensions (hurt/anger, love/concern, and control/manipulation) of feelings associated with these behaviors. As predicted, results found parenting behaviors to be associated with different levels of these feelings for children of different ethnic backgrounds. This may in part explain inconsistent findings researchers have noted when studying ethnic differences in the effect of parental control.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Barber, B. K. (1992). Family, personality, and adolescent problem behaviors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54 ,1–11.
Barber, B. K., Olsen, J. E., & Shagle, S. C. (1994). Associations between parental psychological and behavioral control and youth internalized and externalized behaviors. Child Development, 65 ,1120–1136.
Bond, L. A., & Burns, C. E. (1998). Investing in parents' development as an investment in primary prevention. Journal of Mental Health-UK, 7 ,493–503.
Borduin, C. M., Henggeler, S. W., Hanson, C. L., & Pruitt, J. A. (1985). Verbal problem solving in families of father-absent and father-present delinquent boys. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 7 ,51–63.
Borduin, C. M., Pruitt, J. A., & Henggeler, S. W. (1986). Family interactions in Black, lower-class families with delinquency and nondelinquent adolescent boys. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 147, 333–342.
Bronstein, P. (1984). Promoting healthy emotional development in children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 5 ,92–110.
Brook, J. S., Nomura, C., & Cohen, P. (1989). A network of influences on adolescent drug involvement: Neighborhood, school, peer, and family. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 115 ,125–145.
Cernkovich, S., & Giordano, P. C. (1987). Family relationships and delinquency. Criminology, 15 ,295–321.
Chao, R. K. (1994). Beyond parental control and authoritarian parenting style: Understanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of training. Child Development, 65 ,1111–1119.
Chao, R. K. (1995, August). Beyond authoritarianism: A cultural perspective on Asian American parenting practices. In P. Florsheim (Chair), Cultural and Contextual Influences on Parental Control. Symposium presented at the meetings of the American Psychological Association, New York.
Cherry, V. R., Belgrave, F. Z., Jones, W., Kennon, D. K., Gray, F. S., & Phillips, F. (1998). NTU: An Africentric approach to substance abuse prevention among African American youth. Journal of Primary Prevention, 18 ,319–339.
Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (1999). Initial impact of the Fast Track prevention trial for conduct problems: I. The high risk sample. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67 ,631–647.
Conger, R. D., Conger, R. D., Elder, G. H., Lorenz, F. O., Simons, R. L., & Whitbeck, L. B. (1992). A family process model of economic hardship and adjustment of early adolescent boys. Child Development, 63 ,526–541.
Conger, R. D., Conger, R. D., Elder, G. H., Lorenz, F. O., Simons, R. L., & Whitbeck, L. B. (1993). Family economic stress and adjustment of early adolescent girls. Developmental Psychology, 29 ,206–219.
Darling, N., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting style as context: An integrative model. Psychological Bulletin, 113 ,487–496.
Dornbusch, S. M., Ritter, P. L., Leiderman, P. H., Roberts, D. F., & Fraleigh, M. H. (1987). The relation of parenting style to adolescent school performance. Child Development, 58 ,1244–1257.
Dumka, L. E., Roosa, M. W., Michaels, M. L., & Suh, K.W. (1995). Using research and theory to develop prevention programs for high risk families. Family Relations: Journal of Applied Family and Child Studies, 44 ,78–86.
Forgatch, M. S., & DeGarmo, D. S. (1999). Parenting through change: An effective prevention program for single mothers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67 ,711–724.
Hundleby, J. D., & Mercer, G.W. (1987). Family and friends as social environments and their relationship to young adolescents' use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49 ,151–164.
Kamps, D. M., & Tankersley, M. (1996). Prevention of behavioral and conduct problems: Trends and research issues. Behavioral Disorders, 22 ,41–48.
Lorion, R. P. (2000). Community, prevention, and wellness. In M. Hersen & R. T. Ammerman (Eds.), Advanced abnormal child psychology (pp. 251–266). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Lustig, J. L., Wolchik, S. A., & Weiss, L. (1999). The New Beginnings Parenting Program for divorced mothers: Linking theory and intervention. In C.A. Essau and F. Petermann (Eds.), Depressive disorders in children and adolescents: Epidemiology, risk factors, and treatment (pp. 361–381). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc.
Mason, C. A., Cauce, A. M., & Gonzales, N. (1997). Parents and peers in the lives of African American adolescents: An interactive approach to the study of problem behavior. In R. Taylor (Ed.), Social and emotional adjustment and family relations in ethnic minority families (pp. 85–98). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Mason, C. A., Cauce, A. M., Gonzales, N., & Hiraga, Y. (1996). Neither too sweet nor too sour: Antisocial peers, maternal control, and problem behavior in African American adolescents. Child Development, 67 ,2115–2130.
Miller-Heyl, J., MacPhee, D., & Fritz, J. J. (1998). DARE to be you: A family support, early prevention program. Journal of Primary Prevention, 18 ,257–285.
Reyment, R. A., & Jöreskog, K. G. (1996). Applied factor analysis in the natural sciences. Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge Press.
Ritter, P., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1989, March). Ethnic variation in family influences on academic achievement. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association Meeting, San Francisco.
Sanders, M. R. (1999). Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: Towards an empirically validated multilevel parenting and family support strategy for the prevention of behavior and emotional problems in children, Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 2 ,71–90.
Schaefer, E. (1965). Children's reports of parental behavior: An inventory. Child Development, 36 ,413–421.
Smith, C., & Krohn, M. D. (1995). Delinquency and family life among male adolescents: The role of ethnicity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24 ,69–93.
Steinberg, L., Dornbusch, S.M., & Brown, B.B. (1992). Ethnic differences in adolescent achievement: An ecological perspective. American Psychologist, 47 ,723–729.
Steinberg, L., Mounts, N. S., Lamborn, S., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1991). Authoritative parenting and adolescent adjustment across varied ecological niches. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 1 ,19–36.
Walker-Barnes, C. J., & Mason, C. A. (2001). Perceptions of risk factors for female gang involvement among African American and Hispanic women. Youth and Society, 32 ,303–336.
Webster-Stratton, C. (1998). Preventing conduct problems in Head Start children: Strengthening parenting competencies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66 ,715–730.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mason, C.A., Walker-Barnes, C.J., Tu, S. et al. Ethnic Differences in the Affective Meaning of Parental Control Behaviors. The Journal of Primary Prevention 25, 59–79 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPP.0000039939.83804.37
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPP.0000039939.83804.37