NCJ Number
215397
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 631-645
Date Published
August 2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the factors associated with resistance to peer pressure toward antisocial behaviors among Mexican adolescents.
Abstract
One of the most significant findings in this study was the process by which generational status influenced adolescents’ resistance to peer pressure or RPP. Specifically, adolescent boys and girls who reported greater familial births in the United States reported higher levels of emotional autonomy from parents or EAP and, in turn, reported lower levels of RPP. The study also found support for the hypothesized negative relationship between adolescents’ EAP and RPP. Adolescent boys and girls who reported lower levels of EAP also tended to report higher levels of RPP. In addition, support was found for the importance of the parent-adolescent relationship in influencing adolescents’ self-esteem. Lastly, the findings emphasize the importance of examining the processes that influence RPP independently for boys and girls. Future research should examine the relationship between self-esteem and additional domains of peer pressure, while considering possible gender differences. Due to increased time spent with friends and peers, understanding the influence that youth exert on one another, especially with respect to antisocial behaviors, has emerged as an important area of study in adolescence. This study examined how generational status, emotional autonomy from parents, and self-esteem simultaneously influenced Mexican-origin adolescents’ resistance to peer pressure toward antisocial behaviors. As part of a larger study designed to examine ethnic identity formation among adolescents, data were gathered from three high schools in the Southwest. The study participants consisted of 564 Mexican-origin adolescents ranging in age from 13 to 19 years. Tables, figures, and references