Family structure has been examined in depth for its possible impact on adolescent
outcomes (such as substance use, achievement, sexual risk, etc.). Among the African American
community, less than one-half of African American children live in two-parent households.
African American households earn less than Hispanics and Caucasians, and they are less likely
to be married than both Hispanics and Caucasians (Kreider & Elliot, 2009; NCES, 2003). The
present study examined the level of association between family contextual factors (i.e., parent’s
level of income, marital status, parent’s level of education) and adolescent outcomes (i.e., sexual
activity, substance use, adolescent education) among an African American sample of adolescents
ages 12 to 17. Using data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (also
known as the Add Health Survey), N = 890, five hypotheses examined how positive family
contextual factors have either a lower level or a higher level of association with the adolescent
outcomes of sexual intercourse, sexual risk, substance use, educational aspirations, and
educational performance. Results showed that two out of the five hypotheses were statistically
significant. The study had varied outcomes for females and males. Specifically, the results
showed that family contextual factors had an impact on the educational aspirations and
educational performance of African American females. For African American males, parent's
marital status had a negative association with substance use. Lastly, while 57% reported being
sexually active, it was surprising to find a large number of adolescents, 37%, who reported not
using birth control. / Dissertation(Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:WICHITA/oai:soar.wichita.edu:10057/3937 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Roberts, Shani Roshelle |
| Contributors | Lewis-Moss, Rhonda K. |
| Publisher | Wichita State University |
| Source Sets | Wichita State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | xi, 62 p. |
| Rights | © Copyright 2011 by Shani Roshelle Roberts . All rights reserved |
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