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Time Use in Mexican-Origin Families

Fri, October 5, 4:45 to 6:15pm, Doubletree Hilton, Room: Fiesta II and III

Abstract

Time spent with family, which provides mothers, fathers, and siblings with the opportunity to build close relationships and affirm their sense of ‘we-ness’ (Larson & Richards, 1994), is broadly linked with healthier adolescent adjustment (Barnes et al., 2007; Crouter et al., 2004). However, most research on family time and youth outcomes has focused on European American families (Hodge et al., 2015). Consequently, we know little about the implications of family time in other ethnic groups, including Mexican Americans for whom a growing literature highlights the cultural emphasis of family in youth’s everyday lives (Cauce & Domenech- Rodríquez, 2002). Expanding on prior research and using primary data, we examined how Mexican-origin youth’s family time changes from early adolescence to young adulthood and how these changes are linked with changes in youth adjustment. Family members completed a series of nightly phone calls at each phase during which they reported on their daily activities, including with whom they spent their time. Figure 1 shows that the proportion youth’s time spent with family declined from adolescence into young adulthood, however, the data is limited in understanding the context of that shared time (quality of their shared time, the extent to which it was actively selected, family conversations) and thus its links to youth adjustment. A data set more ideally suited for answering our research questions about the implications of youth time use and family time would provide more detailed information about both the quantity and quality of family members’ interactions during their time together.

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