Parent-Adolescent Communication in Korean Immigrant Families and Adolescents' Academic and Emotional Outcomes

• In Event: 72.050 - Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: 72.050-1 - Adolescent Adjustment: Peer, Family, and School Contexts

Abstract

Parent-adolescent communication plays a crucial role in adolescents’ development. This study investigated the relationships among parent-adolescent communication quantity, quality, and challenges in Korean immigrant families and adolescents’ academic and emotional outcomes. 112 Korean American adolescents participated in an online survey. Series of regressions and path analyses found that open communication had positive effects on communication quality. Additionally, communication quantity positively predicted communication quality, and talking frequently about friends with fathers and dating/sexuality with mothers predicted positive communication quality. Moreover, adolescents’ Korean fluency had positive effects on communication quantity. Academic conflicts, on the other hand, negatively predicted communication quality. No association was found among communication practice and adolescents’ academic outcome. Lastly, open communication with mothers predicted positive adolescents’ emotional wellbeing.

Authors

• Catalina Park, Michigan State University

• Chin-Hsi Lin, Michigan State University