Overt conflict style, parenting behaviors, and youth problem behaviors : an ethnic profile

Although the theoretical and empirical literature dealing with the crucial linkages among overt conflict style, parenting behavior, and youth problem behavior in European-American families is substantial, cross-ethnic perspectives are minimal. This research examines these variables through the lens of ethnicity. The investigation is based on data from youth living in Knox County, Tennessee and Ogden, Utah. The family socialization behaviors of 536 European-American and 147 African-American families (Knox County) along with 371 European-American and 59 Mexican-American families (Ogden) are assessed from the youth's perspective. This ethnic model of family process is built inductively starting with the process of validating the measures for use in cross-ethnic research. For the most part the measures were cross-ethnically equivalent. Associations among overt conflict style, parenting behaviors, and youth problem behavior are more similar than different across ethnic groups. In general, overt conflict style is associated with youth externalizing and internalizing problem behavior. The pathway of influence between overt conflict style and youth externalizing problem behavior is through parental monitoring in all ethnic groups. An additional pathway was found through father acceptance in European-American and African-American families. Parenting behaviors did not intervene in the association between overt conflict style and internalizing problem behaviors in African-American and some European-American and Mexican- American families. An association between overt conflict style and internalizing problem behaviors through father's strict discipline was found in one group of European-American and in Mexican-American families.

Findings from this investigation indicate: (a) the need to examine multiple family systems when investigating family influences on youth problem behavior, (b) the need to examine both direct and intervening models when studying process of socialization, and (c) an overall similarity in family processes, socialization, and youth problem behavior across ethnic groups.