NCJ Number
218643
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 543-553
Date Published
May 2007
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study sought to identify risk and protective factors influencing the impact of ecological risk on the psychosocial adjustment of African-American and European-American adolescents.
Abstract
Results indicated that supportive parenting promoted the psychosocial adjustment of both African-American and European-American youths. Youths who reported higher levels of maternal monitoring and involvement had higher grades, higher levels of competence, and had fewer problem behaviors than youths who reported lower levels of maternal monitoring and involvement. Other findings revealed that school bonds promoted higher levels of youth competence and that ethnic identity served as a protective factor only for European-American youth. The findings support previous research that has suggested the importance of supportive parenting practices for the well-being of adolescents, particularly those living in high-risk contexts. Future research should include youth at different developmental stages to test whether the factors impacting youth psychosocial adjustment are different for different developmental phases. Participants were 112 African-American and 94 European-American adolescents between the ages of 13 to 19 years who were recruited from a public high school to complete a series of self-report questionnaires. Questionnaires elicited information about socioeconomic status, life stressors, association with deviant peers, parenting behaviors, ethnic identity, school bonds, academic achievement, school and social competence, and problem behaviors. Data were analyzed using zero-order correlations and hierarchical regression models. Tables, references