Family obligation and the transition to young adulthood.

Abstract

Changes in a sense of obligation to assist, support, and respect the family were examined among an ethnically diverse group of 745 American individuals as they began to move from secondary school into young adulthood. A sense of family obligation increased for all young adults, with slight variations according to ethnic and financial backgrounds. Young adults from Filipino and Latin American families reported the strongest sense of familial duty during young adulthood, which partially explained their tendency to live with and contribute financially to their families. The implications of family obligation for employment and educational persistence depended on age and academic performance in high school. Finally, a sense of family obligation was associated with more positive emotional well-being.

A Longitudinal Daily Diary Study of Family Assistance and Academic Achievement Among Adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, and European Backgrounds

“…Adolescents from Mexican and Chinese backgrounds are more likely to come from immigrant families, and there may be stresses associated with being an immigrant that make it harder to manage their family obligations and school work. Immigrant youth do take on more household responsibilities (Fuligni and Pederson 2002;Fuligni et al 1999;Hardway and Fuligni 2006) and often express feelings of stress and conflict deriving from their family obligations and school work (Suarez-Orozco and SuarezOrozco 1995). However, we did not find that generational differences explained why Mexican and Chinese youth who help on more days receive lower grades, and there were not differences between immigrant and nonimmigrant youth in the association between family assistance and achievement.…”

“…Family assistance is a particularly important aspect of family life for youth from Latin American and Asian backgrounds, especially for those from immigrant families (Fuligni et al 1999;Hardway and Fuligni 2006;Orellana 2001;Suarez-Orozco and Suarez-Orozco 1995). These adolescents spend significantly more time assisting their family and value it more so than their peers from European backgrounds (Fuligni and Pederson 2002;Fuligni et al 1999;Hardway and Fuligni 2006).…”

Changes in Marijuana use over the Transition into Marriage

“…As individuals transition into marriage, it is also possible that the decline in use was due to psychosocial maturation (Kandel & Logan, 1984). Additionally, drug use may be reduced as people age because individuals tend to be more likely to follow societal norms (Helson, Kwan, John, & Jones, 2002), be less likely to engage in risky behaviors (Maggs, Frome, Eccles, & Barber, 1997), feel a greater sense of family obligations (Fuligni & Pedersen, 2002), or be preparing to take on other roles (e.g., parenting, etc. ).…”

Supportive adult relationships and the academic engagement of Latin American immigrant youth

“…Previous studies of academic disengagement among immigrant students have tended to employ cross-sectional data, comparing two or more generations of cohorts, rather than addressing trajectories of change over time within the same cohort. Because most previous studies have included second-and sometimes even third-generation immigrants from a variety of origins (Fuligini & Pederson, 2002;García-Coll, Szalacha, & Palacios, 2005), they have been less able to explore initial adjustment patterns and the unique experiences of recently-arrived Latin American immigrant students. Additionally, prior work has been largely descriptive of youths' academic outcomes, with less attention to the underlying processes that might account for variation in adjustment, including change over time.…”