Families, Urban Neighborhood Youth Centers, and Peers as Contexts for Development

Abstract

Three social contexts-family, neighborhood youth centers, and peer relationships-were examined in relation to several measures of adjustment among 1,406 mostly minority, inner-city adolescents. Family and center involvement were directly related to 3 of the 4 adjustment measures (i.e., achievement orientation, emotion regulation, attitudes toward school). Peer connections interacted with family and center involvement to also predict these variables. Substance use, the fourth adjustment measure, was related only to family involvement. Significant 3-way interactions suggested that within urban settings, favorable attitudes toward school may best be achieved when family, neighborhood youth center, and peer involvement are all strong. The combined effects of these 3 contexts appear to be greater among younger adolescents. Implications for promoting urban youth development programs are discussed.

Students' Perceived Parental School Behavior Expectations and Their Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis

“…Much of the research on resilience points to the importance of relationships with positive adults in the home, school, and neighborhood (Parcel et al, 2010). More specifically, students who receive support from parents report more positive attitudes toward school (Anderson, Sabatelli, & Kosutic, 2007), perform better academically (Crosnoe, 2004;Muller, 1998;Powers et al, 2005), and report more positive behavior (Lopez, Olaizola, Ferrer, & Ochoa, 2006) than their peers who receive little support. The social environment within the family is perhaps the strongest predictor of academic success.…”

Parents' Religiosity, Family Socialization and the Mental Health of Children in Hong Kong: Do Raters Make a Difference?

“…Favorable family socialization is beneficial for the health of a child, for example enhancing positive development and preventing negative consequences. A literature review reveals that such benefits are multifaceted, including (1) a lower tendency to develop delinquent behaviors (Perrone, Sullivan, Pratt, & Margaryan, 2004) and addiction to substances (Baumrind, 1991), (2) better psychosocial adjustment (Pancer, Pratt, Hunsberger, & Alisat, 2007;Youngblade et al, 2007), (3) greater academic success (Anderson, Sabatelli, & Kosutic, 2007), and (4) better psychological health (Mason et al, 2012;McLeod & Shanahan, 1993). Bronfenbrenner (1990) defined informal family socialization in the early life stages as a 'powerful prerequisite of the child's subsequent social success in other domains of life, including school, work, and family ' (p. 28).…”

Risk-Taking and Self-Regulation

“…The use of age as a proxy for different levels of development within adolescence is, in fact, already an accepted practice in the education and mental health literatures (for instance, Anderson, sabatelli, & Kosutic, 2007;Dyk & Adams, 1987;Froh et al, 2010;Gardner & steinberg, 2005;Mclean, Breen, & Fournier, 2010;smetana, Campione-Barr, & Metzger, 2006).…”