Reconsidering the "acculturation gap" narrative through an analysis of parent-adolescent acculturation differences in Mexican American families.
Using a sample of 193 Mexican American adolescents (Mage at Wave 1 = 14) and three waves of data over two years, this study longitudinally examined the effects of parent-youth acculturation differences, relative to no differences, on parent-adolescent relationship quality and youth problem behavior. We examined parent-youth differences inoverall acculturation,Mexican acculturation, andAmerican acculturation.We differentiated between cases in which the adolescent was more acculturated than the parent and cases in which the parent was more acculturated than the adolescent. Adolescents were more commonly similar to their parents than different. Where differences existed, adolescents were not uniformly more American than their parents, no type of difference was associated with parent-adolescent relationship quality, and no type of difference in overall acculturation was associated with youth problem behavior. One type of difference by dimension (adolescent had lessMexican acculturationthan mother) was associated with less risk of problem behavior.
University of California at Riverside.
Tanya
T
Nieri
University of California at Riverside.
Matthew
M
Grindal
Tulane University.
Michele A
MA
Adams
San Francisco State University.
Jeffrey T
JT
Cookston
Arizona State University.
William V
WV
Fabricius
University of California at Riverside.
Ross D
RD
Parke
Arizona State University.
Delia S
DS
Saenz
Mexican American; acculturation; parent-adolescent relations; problem behavior
J Fam Psychol. 2005 Sep;19(3):367-75
16221017
J Fam Psychol. 2009 Jun;23(3):426-37
19586205
J Fam Issues. 2014 Nov;35(13):1727-1753
26855464
J Early Adolesc. 2009 Feb;29(1):16-42
21776180
Dev Psychol. 2008 Jul;44(4):1190-4
18605845
Prev Sci. 2011 Mar;12(1):48-62
21128119
Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2008 Oct;14(4):275-285
18954163
Am J Community Psychol. 2008 Mar;41(1-2):151-64
18085435
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Sep;125 Suppl 1:S26-34
22699094
J Early Adolesc. 2010 Jun;30(3):444-481
20644653
J Immigr Health. 2005 Jan;7(1):1-9
15744472
Am Psychol. 2010 May-Jun;65(4):237-51
20455618
J Community Psychol. 2005 Mar;33(2):157-174
16799699
Child Dev. 2006 Sep-Oct;77(5):1252-67
16999796
Soc Work Forum (N Y N Y). 2009 May;42-43:6-26
23888125
J Prim Prev. 2009 Jul;30(3-4):293-313
19384604
Soc Sci Res. 2011 Jul;40(4):1236-48
21785519
Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2008 Oct;14(4):353-363
18954171
Annu Rev Psychol. 2006;57:255-84
16318596
J Youth Adolesc. 2008 Jan;37(1):36-49
20725611
Psychotherapy (Chic). 2006 Winter;43(4):397-409
22122132
J Pers. 2005 Aug;73(4):1015-49
15958143