Insights from Su Yeong Kim on Parenting, Family Obligation, and Teen Outcomes in Mexican American Families

How Cultural Values Influence Parenting and Adolescent Outcomes — Findings by Su Yeong Kim

Family is a noted determinant to Mexican American adolescents, not only due to its provision of care, but as the central cultural identity. Some of the most dominant cultural principles include family obligation, which contends that a person ought to respect, assist, and make sure that the family members are well.

A research by Dr. Su Yeong Kim in the Journal of Early Adolescence, maps out the effects of family obligation values as enacted by both parents and adolescents. He discusses changing the patterns of parenting activities and consequently, the psychological, as well as academic conditions of adolescents. Based on two waves of data on 604 Mexican Americans families, the study developed a complex insight regarding how cultural values may be used as an asset in the development of adolescents.

Finding the Link: Why Family Obligations Matter

Understanding the linkage is crucial to understand the reason why the family obligation matters. Family obligation values reflect the perceptions and ideas of supporting and respecting one family. Unlike family obligation behaviors which consist of concrete tasks such as chores or caregiving that may not always be stressful.

The paper focused on the values and discovered that they are a promoting factor in adolescent development. The beliefs enhance better parent-child relationships and cause more parenting support behaviors and also results in positive results as:

• A greater sense of life meaning
• Higher resilience in the face of challenges
• Better academic performance

This view goes a step further in discussing the burden of obligation as we see it traditionally and demonstrating the importance of obligation in making Mexican American families prosper.

Family Obligation and Teens: Study Results

Parenting Connection

This paper discovered that adolescents and the family obligation of the parents were correlated with more effective parenting which was done by being warm, monitoring consistently and inductive reasoning which was explained (rulings and reasons).

When adolescents cared significantly about family obligation, they were more likely to feel that their parents were more warm and engaged. Those of the parents who also agreed to family obligation have employed higher assistive parenting practices themselves.

Such mutual impact falls in line with the transactional model of development, which suggests that, as time goes on, parents and adolescents exert mutual influence on each other in terms of their behaviors.

Adolescent positive outcomes

Supportive parenting was also a mediator between the family obligation values and the adolescent outcomes:

1. Meaning of Life- Teenagers characterized by good values and positive parenting had a better answer to the question meaning of life.
2. Resilience - Parenting that was supportive assisted the teens in a better way to respond to the challenges set before them, which is particularly necessary when the stressors are due to social and cultural adaptation.
3. Academic Performance- there were better academic self-reports associated with positive parent/child interaction.

Family Factors as Moderators

It was also discussed at what point and for whom these connections tended to be strongest:

Parent Gender: The family requirement of the adolescents was more closely connected to the images of maternal parenting as compared to paternal parenting.

Informant Perspective: The associations were highest when both sets of association at individual level, with the same person reporting on family obligation and parenting style, against a background of differentiating the perceptions by parents and teens.

Gender: With no significant differences between boys and girls, there is no relationship between family obligation and outcome in respect to adolescence.

Implications on Families, Educators and Practitioners

1. Identify Family Obligation Strength as a Strength : The value of family obligations could lead to positive development of an adolescent only with warmth, guidance, and comments.

2. Help the parents have warm and consistent parenting behaviors : Parenting programs are supposed to foster accompanying and inductive thinking which will help parents relate to cultural values with supportive practices.

3. Use Cultural Values in Interventions : Familism can be incorporated in the school and community cycles to make them engaged and relevant to Mexican American families.

4. Close the Perception Gaps between Parent and Child

It is possible to reduce the gap between the visions of family interaction held by parents and their teen sons by encouraging honest discussion.

Moving Forward: Communities as Cultures of Anchors

The research highlights the importance of the values of family obligation in strengthening the family relationship and acting as a protective influence against the adverse events in life achieved when practiced together by both the parents as well as the adolescents. Such values support teens to become resilient, find meaning, and do well in school because of engaging and motivating parenting styles.

Instead of believing that obligation is a curse, this study pivots it onto the position of a cultural virtue through which it is demonstrated that, through the traditions whose core is respect and mutual assistance, e.g. oppressed minorities can be directed to prosperity in personal and academic life.

Learn More:

This summary is based on the peer-reviewed article Family Obligation, Parenting, and Adolescent Outcomes Among Mexican American Families, published in the Journal of Early Adolescence (2022).

Read the full research article: Family Obligation, Parenting, and Adolescent Outcomes Among Mexican American Families

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