Abstract
This chapter reviews the current state of knowledge regarding parenting and family influence on positive development among ethnic minority adolescents in the United States and Canada. First, general family processes that promote positive development are reviewed in relation to the “Five C’s” of positive youth development: connection, competence, confidence, character, and caring (Lerner et al. in J Early Adolesc 25(1):17–71, 2005). The review includes research related to the role of supportive family relationships in promoting connection, parental school involvement in promoting academic competence, and positive parenting practices in promoting social and behavioral competence. Next, culture-related family influences on positive development are identified, including links between family cultural values and academic competence, parents’ cultural socialization efforts and adolescents’ academic competence and ethnic heritage culture identification, and parents’ support for adolescents’ competent functioning in the mainstream culture. Third, family dynamics associated with navigating a bicultural environment are addressed. These dynamics include family support of adolescents’ biculturalism, the benefits of parent–child similarities in cultural orientations, and the positive developmental correlates of adolescents’ language brokering assistance for parents. Finally, research investigating family influences on positive adolescent development in the context of adversity is reviewed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of policy implications and recommendations for future research, including a call to direct research attention to the role of families in promoting a variety of as yet unstudied domains of positive adolescent development, such as hope, purpose, spirituality, thriving, civic engagement, and media literacy.
Keywords
- Ethnic Identity
- Positive Youth Development
- Academic Competence
- Cultural Socialization
- Mainstream Culture
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Joelle Taknint and Sheena Miao contributed equally to this chapter.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Areepattamannil, S., & Lee, D. L. (2014). Linking immigrant parents’ educational expectations and aspirations to their children’s school performance. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 175(1), 51–57. doi:10.1080/00221325.2013.799061
Basilio, C. D., Knight, G. P., O’Donnell, M., Roosa, M. W., Gonzales, N. A., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., et al. (2014). The Mexican American biculturalism scale: Bicultural comfort, facility, and advantages for adolescents and adults. Psychological Assessment, 26(2), 539–554. doi:10.1037/a0035951
Benish-Weisman, M., Levy, S., & Knafo, A. (2013). Parents differentiate between their personal values and their socialization values: The role of adolescents’ values. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(4), 614–620. doi:10.1111/jora.12058
Brown, T. L., Linver, M. R., Evans, M., & DeGennaro, D. (2009). African-American parents’ racial and ethnic socialization and adolescent academic grades: Teasing out the role of gender. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(2), 214–227. doi:10.1007/s10964-008-9362-z
Buriel, R., Perez, W., De Ment, T. L., Chavez, D. V., & Moran, V. R. (1998). The relationship of language brokering to academic performance, biculturalism, and self-efficacy among Latino adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 20(3), 283–297.
Calderón-Tena, C. O., Knight, G. P., & Carlo, G. (2011). The socialization of prosocial behavioral tendencies among Mexican American adolescents: The role of familism values. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(1), 98–106.
Chao, R. K. (2006). The prevalence and consequences of adolescents’ language brokering for their immigrant parents. In M. H. Bornstein & L. R. Cote (Eds.), Acculturation and parent–child relationships: Measurement and development (pp. 271–296). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chen, X., & Chen, H. (2010). Child’s socioemotional functioning and adjustment in the changing Chinese society. In R. K. Silbereisen & X. Chen (Eds.), Social change and human development: Concepts and results (pp. 209–227). London: Sage. doi:10.4135/9781446252161.n10
Chen, S. H., Hua, M., Zhou, Q., Tao, A., Lee, E. H., Ly, J., et al. (2014). Parent–child cultural orientations and child adjustment in Chinese American immigrant families. Developmental Psychology, 50(1), 189.
Corona, M., McCarty, C., Cauce, A. M., Robins, R. W., Widaman, K. F., & Conger, R. D. (2012). The relation between maternal and child depression in Mexican American families. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 34(4), 539–556.
Corwyn, R. F., & Bradley, R. H. (2008). The panethnic Asian label and predictors of eighth-grade student achievement. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 90–106.
Costigan, C. L., & Dokis, D. P. (2006). Relations between parent–child acculturation differences and adjustment within immigrant Chinese families. Child Development, 77(5), 1252–1267.
Costigan, C. L., Koryzma, C. M., Hua, J. M., & Chance, L. J. (2010). Ethnic identity, achievement, and psychological adjustment: Examining risk and resilience among youth from immigrant Chinese families in Canada. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(2), 264–273. doi:10.1037/a0017275
Davidson, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & McHale, S. M. (2011). Parent-peer relationship patterns among Mexican-origin adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 35(3), 260–270. doi:10.1177/0165025410384926
Dyson, L. L. (2001). Home-school communication and expectations of recent Chinese immigrants. Canadian Journal of Education, 26(4), 455–476. doi:10.2307/1602177
Eng, S., Kanitkar, K., Cleveland, H. H., Herbert, R., Fischer, J., & Wiersma, J. D. (2008). School achievement differences among Chinese and Filipino American students: Acculturation and the family. Educational Psychology, 28, 535–550.
Evans, A. B., Banerjee, M., Meyer, R., Aldana, A., Foust, M., & Rowley, S. (2012). Racial socialization as a mechanism for positive development among African American youth. Child Development Perspectives, 6(3), 251–257. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00226.x
Farver, J. M., Narang, S. K., & Bhadha, B. R. (2002). East meets West: Ethnic identity, acculturation, and conflict in Asian Indian families. Journal of Family Psychology, 16(3), 338–350. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.16.3.338
Farver, J. M., Xu, Y., Bhadha, B. R., Narang, S. K., & Lieber, E. (2007). Ethnic identity, acculturation, parenting beliefs, and adolescent adjustment: A comparison of Asian Indian and European American families. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 53(2), 184–215. doi:10.1353/mpq.2007.0010
Fuligni, A., Yip, T., & Tseng, V. (2002). The impact of family obligation on the daily activities and psychological well-being of Chinese American adolescents. Child Development, 73, 302–314.
García Coll, C., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H. P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B. H., et al. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891–1914. doi:10.2307/1131600
Garcia Coll, C., & Magnuson, K. (1997). The psychological experience of immigration: A developmental perspective. In A. Booth, A. C. Crouter, & N. Landale (Eds.), Immigration and the family (pp. 91–132). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Giguère, B., Lalonde, R. N., & Lou, E. (2010). Living at the crossroads of cultural worlds: The experience of normative conflicts by second generation immigrant youth. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4, 14–29.
Gonzales, N. A., Germán, M., Kim, S. Y., George, P., Fabrett, F. C., Millsap, R., et al. (2008). Mexican American adolescents’ cultural orientation, externalizing behavior and academic engagement: The role of traditional cultural values. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41(1–2), 151–164. doi:10.1007/s10464-007-9152-x
Guan, S. A., Greenfield, P. M., & Orellana, M. F. (2014). Translating into understanding: Language brokering and prosocial development in emerging adults from immigrant families. Journal of Adolescent Research, 29(3), 331–355. doi:10.1177/0743558413520223
Hill, N. E., & Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45(3), 740–763. doi:10.1037/a0015362
Hua, J. M., & Costigan, C. L. (2012). The familial context of adolescent language brokering within immigrant Chinese families in Canada. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(7), 894–906. doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9682-2
Hughes, D., Rodriguez, J., Smith, E. P., Johnson, D. J., Stevenson, H. C., & Spicer, P. (2006). Parents’ ethnic racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study. Developmental Psychology, 42, 747–770.
Hughes, D., Witherspoon, D., Rivas-Drake, D., & West-Bey, N. (2009). Received ethnic–racial socialization messages and youths’ academic and behavioral outcomes: Examining the mediating role of ethnic identity and self-esteem. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(2), 112–124. doi:10.1037/a0015509
Hwang, W., & Ting, J. Y. (2008). Disaggregating the effects of acculturation and acculturative stress on the mental health of Asian Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(2), 147–154.
Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42(1), 82–110. doi:10.1177/0042085906293818
Kiang, L., Andrews, K., Stein, G. L., Supple, A. J., & Gonzalez, L. M. (2013). Socioeconomic stress and academic adjustment among Asian American adolescents: The protective role of family obligation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(6), 837–847. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-9916-6
Knight, G. P., Berkel, C., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Gonzales, N. A., Ettekal, I., Jaconis, M., et al. (2011). The familial socialization of culturally related values in Mexican American families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 913–925. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00856.x
Kwak, K. (2003). Adolescents and their parents: A review of intergenerational family relations for immigrant and non-immigrant families. Human Development, 46, 115–136.
LaFromboise, T. D., Hoyt, D. R., Oliver, L., & Whitbeck, L. B. (2006). Family, community, and school influences on resilience among American Indian adolescents in the upper Midwest. Journal of Community Psychology, 34(2), 193–209. doi:10.1002/jcop.20090
Leidy, M. S., Guerra, N. G., & Toro, R. I. (2012). Positive parenting, family cohesion, and child social competence among immigrant Latino families. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 1(S), 3–13.
Lerner, R. M., Lerner, J. V., Almerigi, J. B., Theokas, C., Phelps, E., Gestsdottir, S., et al. (2005). Positive youth development, participation in community youth development programs, and community contributions of fifth-grade adolescents: Findings from the first wave of the 4-h study of positive youth development. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 25(1), 17–71. doi:10.1177/0272431604272461
Liu, L. L., Benner, A. D., Lau, A. S., & Kim, S. Y. (2009). Mother-adolescent language proficiency and adolescent academic and emotional adjustment among Chinese American families. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 572–586. doi:10.1007/s10964-008-9358-8
Lo, Y. (2010). The impact of the acculturation process on Asian American youths’ psychological well-being. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23(2), 84–91.
McDonald, C. C., Deatrick, J. A., Kassam-Adams, N., & Richmond, T. S. (2011). Community violence exposure and positive youth development in urban youth. Journal of Community Health, 36, 925–932. doi:10.1007/s10900-011-9391-5
McLoyd, V. C., Cauce, A. M., Takeuchi, D., & Wilson, L. (2000). Marital processes and parental socialization in families of color: A decade review of research. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1070–1093.
McMahon, T. R., Baete Kenyon, D., & Carter, J. S. (2013). “My culture, my family, my school, me”: Identifying strengths and challenges in the lives and communities of American Indian youth. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22, 694–706. doi:10.1007/s10826-012-9623-z
Mistry, J., & Wu, J. (2010). Navigating cultural worlds and negotiating identities: A conceptual model. Human Development, 53(1), 5–25. doi:10.1159/000268136
Neblett, E. J., Rivas-Drake, D., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (2012). The promise of racial and ethnic protective factors in promoting ethnic minority youth development. Child Development Perspectives, 6(3), 295–303. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2012.00239.x
Nguyen, A. D., & Benet-Martínez, V. (2013). Biculturalism and adjustment: A meta-analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(1), 122–159. doi:10.1177/0022022111435097
Peck, S. C., Brodish, A. B., Malanchuk, O., Banerjee, M., & Eccles, J. S. (2014). Racial/ethnic socialization and identity development in black families: The role of parent and youth reports. Developmental Psychology, 50(7), 1897–1909.
Pérez, D. J., Fortuna, L., & Alegría, M. (2008). Prevalence and correlates of everyday discrimination among US Latinos. Journal of Community Psychology, 36(4), 421–433. doi:10.1002/jcop.20221
Phinney, J. S., & Vedder, P. (2006). Family relationship values of adolescents and parents: Intergenerational discrepancies and adaptation. In J. W. Berry, J. S. Phinney, D. L. Sam, P. Vedder, J. W. Berry, & J. S. Phinney (Eds.), Immigrant youth in cultural transition: Acculturation, identity, and adaptation across national contexts (pp. 167–184). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Pina-Watson, B., Ojeda, L., Castellon, N. E., & Dornhecker, M. (2013). Familismo, ethnic identity, and bicultural stress as predictors of Mexican American adolescents’ positive psychological functioning. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 1(4), 204–217.
Rodríguez, S. A., Perez-Brena, N. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (2014). Emotional closeness in Mexican-origin adolescents’ relationships with mothers, fathers, and same-sex friends. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(12), 1953–1968. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-0004-8
Rodriguez, J., Umaña-Taylor, A., Smith, E., & Johnson, D. (2009). Cultural processes in parenting and youth outcomes: Examining a model of racial-ethnic socialization and identity in diverse populations. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15, 106–111.
Roosa, M. W., O’Donnell, M., Ham, H., Gonzales, N. A., Zeiders, K. H., Tein, J.-Y., et al. (2012). A prospective study of Mexican American adolescents’ academic success: Considering family and individual factors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41, 307–319.
Rousseau, C., Hassan, G., Measham, T., Moreau, N., Lashley, M., Castro, T., et al. (2009). From the family universe to the outside world: Family relations, school attitude, and perception of racism in Caribbean and Filipino adolescents. Health Place, 15, 751–760.
Schwartz, S. J., & Unger, J. B. (2010). Biculturalism and context: What is biculturalism, and when is it adaptive? Human Development, 53(1), 26–32. doi:10.1159/000268137
Smalls, C. (2009). African American adolescent engagement in the classroom and beyond: The roles of mother’s racial socialization and democratic-involved parenting. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 204–213.
Smalls, C. (2010). Effects of mothers’ racial socialization and relationship quality on African American youth’s school engagement: A profile approach. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 476–484.
Smetana, J. G., & Gettman, D. C. (2006). Autonomy and relatedness with parents and romantic development in African American adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1347–1351.
Smetana, J. G., & Metzger, A. (2005). Family and religious antecedents of civic involvement in middle class African American late adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 15(3), 325–352.
Su, T. F., & Costigan, C. L. (2009). The development of children’s ethnic identity in immigrant Chinese families in Canada: The role of parenting practices and children’s perceptions of parental family obligation expectations. Journal of Early Adolescence, 29, 638–663.
Tam, K., & Lee, S. (2010). What values do parents want to socialize in their children? The role of perceived normative values. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 41(2), 175–181. doi:10.1177/0022022109354379
Tang, S. (2015). Social capital and determinants of immigrant family educational involvement. The Journal of Educational Research, 108(1), 22–34. doi:10.1080/00220671.2013.833076
Telzer, E. H. (2011). Expanding the acculturation gap-distress model: An integrative review of research. Human Development, 53(6), 313–340. doi:10.1159/000322476
Tiet, Q. Q., Huizinga, D., & Byrnes, H. F. (2010). Predictors of resilience among inner city youths. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 360–378. doi:10.1007/s10826-009-9307-5
Turney, K., & Kao, G. (2009). Barriers to school involvement: Are immigrant parents disadvantaged? The Journal of Educational Research, 102, 257–271. doi:10.3200/JOER.102.4.257-271
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., O’Donnell, M., Knight, G. P., Roosa, M. W., Berkel, C., & Nair, R. (2014). Mexican-origin early adolescents’ ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, and psychosocial functioning. The Counseling Psychologist, 42(2), 170–200. doi:10.1177/0011000013477903
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Zeiders, K. H., & Updegraff, K. A. (2013). Family ethnic socialization and ethnic identity: A family-driven, youth-driven, or reciprocal process? Journal of Family Psychology, 27(1), 137–146. doi:10.1037/a0031105
Unger, J. B., Ritt-Olson, A., Soto, D., & Baezconde-Garbanati, L. (2009). Parent–child acculturation discrepancies as a risk factor for substance use among Hispanic adolescents in Southern California. Journal of Immigrant Minority Health, 11, 149–157.
Wang, M., & Ecceles, J. S. (2012). Social support matters: Longitudinal effects of social support on three dimensions of school engagement from middle to high school. Child Development, 83, 877–895.
Wang, Y., Kim, S. K., Anderson, E. R., Chen, A. C.-C., & Yan, N. (2012). Parent–child acculturation discrepancy, perceived parental knowledge, peer deviance, and adolescent delinquency in Chinese immigrant families. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41, 907–919.
Weisskirch, R. (2007). Feelings about language brokering and family relations among Mexican American early adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 27(4), 545–561.
Weisskirch, R. S., Kim, S. Y., Zamboanga, B. L., Schwartz, S. J., Bersamin, M., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (2011). Cultural influences for college student language brokers. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(1), 43–51. doi:10.1037/a0021665
Wu, N. H., & Kim, S. Y. (2009). Chinese American adolescents’ perceptions of the language brokering experience as a sense of burden and sense of efficacy. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(5), 703–718. doi:10.1007/s10964-008-9379-3
Yee, B. W. K., Huang, L. N., & Lew, A. (1998). Family lifespan socialization in a cultural context. In L. C. Lee & N. W. S. Zane (Eds.), Handbook of Asian American psychology (pp. 83–135). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Zhai, J. E., & Stokes, C. E. (2009). Ethnic, family, and social contextual influences on Asian American adolescents’ religiosity. Sociological Spectrum, 29, 201–226.
Zhou, Q., Tao, A., Chen, S. H., Main, A., Lee, E., Ly, J., et al. (2012). Asset and protective factors for Asian American children’s mental health adjustment. Child Development Perspectives, 6, 312–319.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Editor(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Costigan, C., Taknint, J., Miao, S. (2017). Parenting and Families in the United States and Canada. In: Cabrera, N., Leyendecker, B. (eds) Handbook on Positive Development of Minority Children and Youth. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43645-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43645-6_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-43643-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43645-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)