Sharing information about peer relations: Parent and adolescent opinions and behaviors in Hmong and African American families
Author(s):
Brown, B. Bradford; Bakken, Jeremy P.; Nguyen, Jacqueline; Von Bank, Heather G.
Editor(s):
Brown, B. Bradford; Mounts, Nina S.
Format:
Book section
Publisher:
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, 2007.
Series:
New directions for child and adolescent development
Language:
English
Abstract:
In this chapter we examined how individual, family, and ethnic group experiences seemed to frame parent and adolescent attitudes about what parents have a "right to know" about teen peer relations, as well as practices related to actually soliciting or providing information about peers. We sought to discern unifying themes underlying these attitudes and beliefs. For this report, we emphasize ethnic differences in these themes. On the basis of differences in cultural traditions and experiences in the United States, we expected Hmong parents to assert more of a right to know about teen peer relations than African American parents would, and to emphasize family honor and obligation in enforcing rules about peer interactions. We also expected Hmong youth to express more ambivalence about sharing information with parents, as they struggled to negotiate their position in both family and host cultures. We anticipated that African American adolescents and parents would agree more about what parents had a right to know and would place more emphasis on adolescent autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)