This study qualitatively examined the experiences of Mexican-origin women caring for elderly family members in order to identify aspects of familism in their caregiving situations. Data were collected from onetime interviews with 44 caregivers living in the greater East Los Angeles area. Kinscripts guided the framing of familism in this study. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Caregivers’ descriptions of the Mexican family reflected an idealized view of familism. Caregivers reported a lack of support from others and relying for support on fewer family members than were potentially available to them. Findings suggest that the construct of familism has evolved from its long-standing portrayals in the literature. More research is needed to reexamine familism as a theoretical perspective to explain how Mexican-origin families negotiate and construct elder care over the family life course.

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Despite the recognition of differences between immigrants’ and European Americans’ family values in the literature, differences in family values among immigrant populations have seldom been compared to one another. The current study employed multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) to examine the construct invariance between Asian family values as a focal construct and Hispanic familism as a reference construct. Participants were Asian and Hispanic immigrant adolescents drawn from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (Portes & Rumbaut, 2008). MCFA supported the construct invariance of familism between Hispanic males and females, although it did not support the invariance between Asian males and females. Factor loading of “Better Take a Job Close to Parents” on familism was higher for males than females, while factor loading of “Only Relatives can Help” was higher for females than males among Asian respondents. In addition, the factor loading of “Family Togetherness Is Important” on family cohesion was higher for Asian males than females. The difference in the extended family system between Hispanic and Asian immigrants was discussed as a possible explanation for a lack of support for construct invariance in family values between Asians and Hispanics. The implications for research and practice are discussed.

Introduction: Previous research has shown inconsistent indings of the efect of familism on academic outcomes among adolescents from Latino immigrant families. Guided by social capital theory and the concept of gendered familism, the current study examined diferential efects of family obligation and family cohesion as subcomponents separately. This study also investigated the moderating efect of familial SES on the association of each component of familism and academic outcomes by gender. Methods: Participants were 1801 adolescents from Latino immigrant families (M age = 14.1 years, SD = 0.83, range = 14-17) drawn from the Children of Immigrant Longitudinal Studies. The current study employed a series of multiple regression analyses to examine the efects of familism, assessed by family obligation and family cohesion, on adolescents' grade point average (GPA), educational expectations and aspirations. Multigroup analyses were also conducted to examine gender diferences in the efect of familism on adolescents' academic outcomes. Results: Analyses revealed the positive main efect of family cohesion and the negative efect of family obligations on Latino and Latina adolescents' GPA and educational expectations. For Latino adolescents, negative efect of family obligation on GPA was stronger for adolescents from high-SES families than those from low-SES families. Conclusion: It is imperative for researchers to conceptualize familism and operationalize the construct clearly. The efect of diferences in family context and gender role expectation also needs to be considered in examining the association between familism and the academic outcomes of adolescents from immigrant families.Familism is a traditional Latino cultural value that emphasizes tangible (e.g., inancial support, caregiving) and intangible (e.g., informational, emotional support) interdependence among family members (Campos,

When older parents experience age-related functional limitations, adult children may begin to monitor and try to control their parents’ behavior. This shift can lead to tension due to differences in values both generations share, with parents prioritizing autonomy and self-sufficiency and adult children prioritizing safety and convention. Although a great deal of research on the transition from adolescence to adulthood focuses on governance transfer and changing boundaries of autonomy, monitoring, and control, less is known about how this happens in later life. The current study used qualitative methodology to explore the dynamic balance of autonomy, safety, and care between older parents and adult children who provide assistance in their daily lives. It focused on which areas adult children were most likely to monitor and try to control and how they did so, how parents respond to those efforts, and the dynamics of information management. Sixteen adult children who had at least one living parent ( M age = 53, SD = 6.1) discussed the challenges of managing two conflicting caregiving goals: respecting parents’ autonomy and ensuring parents’ moral well-being, health, and safety. Data were analyzed using directive content analysis. Although participants were concerned about the negative consequences of their parents’ current behaviors and health conditions, they rarely impinged on their parents’ autonomy until they were prompted by an authority figure or had clear evidence that their parents’ health or safety were threatened. Parents often kept information about their activities and well-being from their children in order to protect their autonomy. Implications for balancing parents and adult children’s goals of governance transfer are discussed.