PARENTAL CONTROL OVER ADOLESCENTS ACCORDING TO FAMILY SIZE

• NCJ Number: 31085
• Journal: ADOLESCENT Volume: 10 Issue: 39 Dated: (FALL 1975) Pages: 419-427
• Author(s): E T PETERSON; P R KUNZ
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: Libra Publishers, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS OF A STUDY OF 3,311 MALE ADOLESCENTS AND 3,414 FEMALE ADOLESCENTS FROM 46 HIGH SCHOOLS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE WHETHER MORE OR LESS PARENTAL CONTROL IS ASSOCIATED WITH LARGER FAMILY SIZES.

Abstract

THERE WERE TWO SCALES USED IN THIS STUDY: A PATERNAL CONTROL SCALE AND A MATERNAL CONTROL SCALE. BOTH OF THE CONTROL SCALES CONSISTED OF SIX IDENTICAL QUESTIONS. THE ADOLESCENTS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE HOW STRONGLY BOTH THEIR FATHER AND MOTHER WOULD DISAPPROVE: (A) IF THEY DID NOT TELL HIM OR HER WHAT THEY DID ON THEIR DATES OR OTHER ACTIVITIES AT NIGHT; (B) IF THEY FAILED TO SHOW HIM OR PROPER RESPECT; (C) IF THEY REPEATEDLY FAILED TO GET THEIR HOMEWORK DONE; (D) IF THEY STARTED SELECTING CLOTHES THEY LIKE BUT HE OR SHE DID NOT; (E) IF THEY STARTED COMING HOME LATE FROM SCHOOL WITHOUT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON; AND (F) IF THEY STARTED TO SPEND THEIR MONEY FOR THINGS HE OR SHE DID NOT APPROVE OF. TWO CONTROL VARIABLES WERE EMPLOYED IN THE RESEARCH. ONE WAS SEX ROLE AND THE OTHER WAS SOCIAL CLASS. SOCIAL CLASS WAS DETERMINED IN CONSIDERATION OF FOUR VARIABLES: EDUCATION, RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, OCCUPATION, AND SOURCE OF INCOME. THE UPPER AND UPPER MIDDLES WERE COMBINED TO FORM WHAT WAS CALLED THE MIDDLE CLASS. THE LOWER MIDDLES WERE CALLED IN THIS PAPER THE WORKING CLASS. THE UPPER LOWERS AND LOWER LOWERS WERE COMBINED TO FORM THE LOWER CLASS. THE RESULTS INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY SIZE AND PARENTAL CONTROL FOR ONLY ONE GROUP - THE MIDDLE CLASS SAMPLES. CONTROLLING FOR SEX ROLE OF THE CHILD, IT WAS CLEAR THAT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS, THE CHILDREN FROM LARGER FAMILIES PERCEIVED MORE PARENTAL CONTROL EFFORTS THAN CHILDREN FROM SMALLER FAMILIES. THE AUTHORS STATE THAT IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THIS IS RELATED TO SOME OF THE MIDDLE CLASS VALUES ONE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND IN SUCH FAMILIES. NO CONSISTENT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FAMILY SIZE AND PARENTAL CONTROL WERE FOUND FOR WORKING OR LOWER CLASS GROUPS. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THESE RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)