Transmission of Cultural Values among Mexican‐Origin Parents and Their Adolescent and Emerging Adult Offspring

• Published date: 01 June 2015
• Author: Adriana J. Umaña‐Taylor,Kimberly A. Updegraff,Norma J. Perez‐Brena
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12114
• Date: 01 June 2015

Transmission of Cultural Values among

Mexican-Origin Parents and Their Adolescent and

Emerging Adult Offspring

NORMA J. PEREZ-BRENA*

KIMBERLY A. UPDEGRAFF

†

ADRIANA J. UMAN

˜A-TAYLOR

†

The integration of the U.S. and Mexican culture is an important process associated with

Mexican-origin youths’ adjustment and family dynamics. The current study exam ined the

reciprocal associations in parents’ and two offspring’s cultural values (i.e., familism and

respect) in 246 Mexican-origin families. Overall, mothers’ values were associated with

increases in youths’ values 5 years later. In contrast, youths’ familism values were associ-

ated with increases in fathers’ familism values 5 years later. In addition, developmental

differences emerged where parent-to-offspring effects were more consistent for youth transi-

tioning from early to late adolescence than for youth transitioning from middle adolescence

to emerging adulthood. Finally, moderation by immigrant status revealed a youth-to-

parent effect for mother–youth immigrant dyads, but not for dyads where youth were U.S.-

raised. Our findings highlight the reciprocal nature of parent–youth value socialization

and provide a nuanced understanding of these processes through the consideration of fami-

lism and respect values. As Mexican-origin youth represent a large and rapidly growing

segment of the U.S. population, research that advances our understanding of how these

youth develop values that foster family cohesion and support is crucial.

Keywords: Cultural Values; Mexican-Origin; Adolescence; Emerging Adulthood;

Parent–Youth

Fam Proc 54:232–246, 2015

Cultural transmission, the process of carrying cultural information from one gene ra-

tion to the next or from one group to another group, has significant implications for

the adaptation and persistence of a culture (Sch€

onpflug & Bilz, 2009) and for relationship

*School of Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, TX.

†

T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Norma J. Perez-Brena, School of Family

and Consumer Sciences, Texas State University–San Marcos, 601 University Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666.

E-mail: Norma.Perez-Brena@txstate.edu.

We are grateful to the families and youth who participated in this project, and to the following schools

and districts who collaborated: Osborn, Mesa, and Gilbert school districts, Willis Junior High School, Sup-

ai and Ingleside Middle Schools, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Gregory, St. Francis Xavier, St. Mary-Basha,

and St. John Bosco. We thank Susan McHale, Ann Crouter, Mark Roosa, Nancy Gonzales, Roger Millsap,

Jennifer Kennedy, Leticia Gelhard, Sarah Killoren, Melissa Delgado, Emily Cansler, Lorey Wheeler,

Shawna Thayer, Devon Hageman, Ji-Yeon Kim, Lilly Shanahan, Sue Annie Rodriguez, Kelly Davis, Anna

Solmeyer, and Shawn Whiteman for their assistance in conducting this investigation. Funding was

provided by NICHD grants R01HD39666 (Updegraff, PI) and R01-HD32336 (Ann C. Crouter & Susan M.

McHale, Co-PIs) and by the Cowden Fund to the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics

at ASU. Portions of this paper were presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence (March, 2012).

232

Family Process, Vol. 54, No. 2, 2015 ©2014 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12114