Sources of Parental Knowledge in Mexican American Families
1. Michelle K. Blocklin1,*,
2. Ann C. Crouter2,
3. Kimberly A. Updegraff3,
4. Susan M. McHale4
Article first published online: 7 JAN 2, 2011
Keywords:
* cultural orientations;
* Mexican American families;
* parent-child relationships;
* parental monitoring;
* sources of knowledge;
* youth adjustment
We examined correlates of sources of parental knowledge of youths’ experiences in Mexican American families, including child self-disclosure, parental solicitation, spouse, siblings, and individuals outside the family. Home and phone interviews were conducted with mothers, fathers, and their seventh-grade male and female offspring in 246 Mexican American families. Results indicated that mothers and fathers relied on different sources of knowledge; parent-child relationship quality and cultural orientations predicted parents’ sources of knowledge, and different sources had different implications for youth adjustment. Specifically, child disclosure to mothers and fathers’ reliance on their spouse were consistently linked to better youth outcomes. Moderation analyses revealed that correlates of parents’ knowledge sources were not always uniform across mothers and fathers or daughters and sons.
Family Relations
Volume 60, Issue 1, pages 30–44, February
