Poster #94 - The Role of the Culture and Family in Predicting Mexican-origin Young Adults’ Post-Secondary Education

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

A life course perspective posits that developmental transitions are “turning points” in an individual’s life, as developmental processes occur that may be advantageous or disadvantageous for individuals’ development (Elder, 1998, pp. 8). One important transition is from high school to post-secondary education. For youth from ethnically/racially diverse backgrounds, this may be a particularly challenging time. Among individuals 25 to 29 years of age in the U.S., 15% of Latinos as compared to 63% of Asians, 41% of whites, and 22% of blacks earned a bachelor’s degree in 2014 (Krogstad, 2016). Within the Latino population, Latinos of Mexican origin have lower levels of 4-year college degree attainment in the U.S. (10%) relative to the U.S. Latino population (López, 2015; U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). Grounded in theory and research highlighting the role of family in development (Parke & Buriel, 2006) and in a cultural ecological model (Garcia Coll et al., 1996), the current study examines mothers’ and fathers’ cultural values (i.e., gender role attitudes, familism) and orientations (i.e., Mexican and Anglo orientation) as predictors of Mexican-origin young adults’ post-secondary enrollment. Using longitudinal data, we examine whether parents’ cultural orientations and values when youth are in early and middle adolescence predict Mexican-origin young adults’ post-secondary enrollment at age 20 and test young adult gender as a moderator.
Participants were 246 Mexican-origin families (i.e., mothers, fathers, target adolescents, and older siblings). Families were recruited from public and parochial schools in and around a southwest metropolitan area. Adolescents were 12.5 years of age at T1 (SD = .57), 51% were female, and 62% were U.S.-born. Mothers and fathers were predominantly Mexico-born (70%). Adolescents, mothers, and fathers participated in interviews at T1 and then 5 and 8 years later (T2 and T3, respectively). Adolescents reported on their gender and educational expectations at T1 and their postsecondary enrollment 8 years later at T3. Mothers and fathers reported on their education level and cultural orientations and values at T1 and T2. We created cross-time averages of mothers’ and fathers’ cultural orientations and values, separately for each parent.
Multinomial multi-level models were conducted in SAS 9.4 predicting postsecondary enrollment at age 20 (T3) from mothers’ and fathers’ cultural orientations and values (T1, T2), controlling for young adult gender, educational expectations in adolescence, and parents’ average education. Four models were tested, one for each cultural orientation/value (see Table 1). Interaction terms were included to test young adult gender as a moderator. Mothers’ traditional gender role attitudes marginally predicted lower odds of post-secondary enrollment. For familism values, the interaction between young adult gender and fathers’ familism was significant, and follow-ups showed that fathers’ familism was associated with greater likelihood of girls’ postsecondary enrollment only. Parents’ Mexican orientations interacted also with young adult gender, such that fathers’ Mexican orientations were associated with boys’ post-secondary enrollment, and mothers’ Mexican orientations were linked to girls’ post-secondary enrollment. Discussion will address the potential distinct roles of parents’ cultural values and orientations for males versus females.

Authors

• Karina M. Cahill, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Kimberly Updegraff, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jenny Padilla, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Adriana Umaña-Taylor, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Susan M. McHale, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author