Extended Family Members and Unrelated Adults in the Lives of Young Adolescents

Abstract

The presence of caring adults in the extended family and unrelated adults, such as neighbors, teachers, youth workers, and clergy, is thought to make a positive contribution to young adolescent development. Many reports mention the importance of those relationships, but there is a sparse empirical literature describing their nature and role in young adolescents' lives. The available literature is reviewed here with respect to (a) identifying the nonparental adults who positively affect adolescents; (b) characterizing the kinds and frequency of contact between adolescents and nonparental adults; and (c) articulating the functions that the relationship serves and specifying the personal characteristics of the nonparental adult. Specifically addressed in this article are the ways in which age and grade, gender ethnicity, and socioeconomic status of the adolescent, and the characteristics of the community, affect adolescents' relationships with nonparental adults.

Partners in Parenting: An Overview of the Literature on Parents’ and Nonparental Adults’ Perspectives on Shared Responsibilities in Childrearing

“…Some authors use other similar terms such as significant adults (Galbo, 1984), natural mentors (Rhodes, Ebert, & Fischer, 1992) or VIPs (very important persons) (Greenberger, Chen, & Beam, 1998). All of these terms are umbrella terms describing a wide range of supportive individuals (Sterrett, Jones, McKee, & Kincaid, 2011), from members of the extended family to unrelated adults such as neighbors and teachers (Chen, Greenberger, Farruggia, Bush, & Dong, 2003;Scales & Gibbons, 1996). In this overview of the literature on shared responsibilities in the upbringing of children and adolescents we distinguish three categories of supportive NPAs, as shown in Figure 1.…”

“…To date there has been no systematic overview of international evidence on the sensitivities underlying this taboo. Although a review by Scales and Gibbons (1996) provided insight into the differences between parental and nonparental childrearing roles, it did not explore parental and nonparental perspectives on childrearing roles. The current study aimed to improve understanding of parents" and NPAs" perspectives on shared childrearing by focusing on two objectives.…”

Social Identity and Role Models

“…We specifically select early adolescent children, as researchers have found that as children enter adolescence, they increasingly focus their attention on nonparental adults to identify models of who they want to emulate (Erikson, 1968;Scales and Gibbons, 1996). We study Roma as they are the largest minority in Europe and according to the EU Commission on Justice, they suffer from pervasive historic discrimination, which has further risen during the economic crisis.…”

Évolution de la perception de l'importance des parents, des amis et des adultes non apparentés au cours d'un traitement de la toxicomanie chez l'adolescent, selon le sexe /

“…Ainsi, la plupart des études ayant exploré l'influence des adultes significatifs non apparentés ou de la famille élargie concluent à des effets positifs chez les adolescents (Rhodes, Reddy & Grossman, 2005;Zimmerman, Bingenheimer & Notaro, 2002;Rishel, Sales & Koeske, 2005;Scales & Gibbons, 1996;Rishel, Cottrell, Cottrell, Stanton, Gibson & Bougher, 2007).…”

“…Au niveau du groupe de relations avec les pairs, les auteurs identifient l'association aux pairs déviants par le biais de l'imitation et le renforcement reçu de leur part comme facteurs importants. Au niveau du groupe des relations avec les adultes significatifs non apparentés ou de la famille élargie, les auteurs identifient la Au niveau des adultes significatifs non apparentés ou de la famille élargie, les études démontrent que les filles rapportent un réseau social comprenant un plus grand nombre d'adultes significatifs que les garçons (Blyth, Hill & Thiel, 1982;Scales & Gibbons, 1996;Greenberger, Chen & Beam, 1998). Plus précisément, il semble que les filles rapportent un plus grand nombre d'adultes significatifs de sexe opposé et de même sexe que les garçons (Scales & Gibbons, 1996) mais également que les filles tendent à désigner des femmes comme adultes significatifs (surtout une tante ou typiquement une grand-mère) et les garçons à nommer des hommes (Greenberger, Chen & Beam, 1998 .…”