CHILD-REARING ORIENTATIONS IN MEXICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES - THE INFLUENCE OF GENERATION AND SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS

This study compared the childrearing practices used by Mexican American parents of first-, second-, and third-generation adolescents. Effects of family sociocultural variables on childrearing were also examined. There were 317 adult respondents representing the parents of 186 adolescents. Multivariate and univariate analyses revealed significant generational differences in childrearing styles. Parents of first- and second-generation adolescents reported a more responsibility-oriented childrearing style, whereas parents of third-generation adolescents reported a more concern-oriented childrearing style. The relationship of family sociocultural variables to parents' childrearing practices also varied by generation. In general, the sociocultural variables of child's Spanish to parent, family income, and mothers' schooling showed the strongest relation to childrearing styles emphasizing either responsibility or concern. Results are discussed in relation to the effects that immigration and acculturation have on Mexican American families.