Different perceptual worlds: Parent and youth perspectives on parenting outcome trajectories from a Latino family-based program

Ghaffar Ali Hurtado Choque, Hae Dong Kim, Norman B. Epstein, Diego Garcia-Huidobro, Maria Veronica Svetaz, Michele L. Allen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Discrepancies between parent and youth perceptions of their relationship are a common aspect of generational acculturation gaps influencing immigrant families. Programs designed to strengthen parenting practices among immigrant Latino families commonly address immigration stresses, including differences between parent and youth perceptions, but little is known about discrepancies in their appraisals of program effects on parenting behavior. A randomized trial was conducted examining effects on parent behavior of a program for immigrant families with youth aged 10–14, developed through community-based participatory research principles. Families (346 parents and youth) were recruited by organizations serving Latino families in a Midwestern metropolitan area and randomly assigned to the eight-session psychoeducation and skill-building program or a waitlist control. Parents and youth completed self-report measures at pre-intervention, post-intervention (4 months), and a 6-month follow-up regarding parents' expression of acceptance, efforts to solicit information about the child's experiences, and consistency of discipline, key foci of the program. Based on social cognition theory, the study focused on possible differences in parents' and youths' perceptions of change in parenting behavior. Parents in the treatment group reported pre-post improved acceptance, consistent discipline, and solicitation, whereas youth reported improvement only in parental solicitation, a pattern maintained at follow-up. In the control group, the only change was youth-reported reduction in parental acceptance. Parents' perceptions of improvement are encouraging, but overall lack of improvements from the youth perspective poses a potential problem for impact on parent–child relations. Interventions may need to target both parent and youth cognitions about behavior changes directly.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)821-842
Number of pages22
JournalFamily process
Volume63
Issue number2
DOIs
StateE-pub ahead of print - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Family Process published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Family Process Institute.

Keywords

  • Latino immigrant families
  • community-based participatory research
  • parenting intervention
  • parent–child perceptual discrepancies

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

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