Poverty, Ethnicity and Youth Adjustment: A Comparison of Poor Hmong and Non-Hmong Adolescents
Author(s):
Call, Kathleen Thiede; Mcnall, Miles
Format:
Journal article
Publisher:
1992.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Based on questionnaire or interview data obtained from a random sample of 1,105 ninth-grade students in the St. Paul (Minn) Public School District & their parents, Hmong & non-Hmong poor adolescents are compared on a range of psychological & behavioral indicators, exploring whether differences between them might be explained by intrafamilial factors (parents' support & educational aspirations for their children) or extrafamilial factors (support from teachers & friends, experiences of autonomy & self-direction at school, & involvement with peers through participation in extracurricular activities). Following Steinberg & others, it is hypothesized that the influence of intrafamilial factors on adjustment will be weaker among the Hmong than among the non-Hmong. While the two groups appear similar in terms of psychological adjustment, the Hmong youth have higher grade point averages & lower levels of problem behavior in school. As hypothesized, with the exception of father's aspirations, intrafamilial factors are found to have less impact on these outcomes for the Hmong poor. Though the differences between Hmong & non-Hmong youth cannot be explained by the variables examined here, other evidence suggests that extrafamilial factors, ie, membership in the Hmong culture & community, exert a strong influence on the behavioral adjustment of Hmong adolescents.