Journal of Child and Family Studies
Volume 25, Issue 9, 2016, Pages 2765-2777

Made in America: Perspectives on Friendship in West African Immigrant Families (Article)

Akinsulure-Smith A.M.* , Mirpuri S. , Chu T. , Keatley E. , Rasmussen A.
  • a Department of Psychology, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
  • b Fordham University, New York, NY, United States
  • c The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
  • d Windsor University, Windsor, ON, Canada
  • e Fordham University, New York, NY, United States

Abstract

This qualitative study compared West African immigrant parents’ and adolescents’ perspectives on parental monitoring of adolescents’ peer groups. Parents (n = 31) and adolescent children (n = 25) were interviewed using focus groups and individual interviews, and data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Parents expressed a general concern about external influences on their children, particularly their mistrust of their children’s friends. Adolescents reported that they were aware of their parents’ fears and described their attempts to manage their parents’ concerns while simultaneously maintaining friendships with same-ethnic and other-ethnic peers. This study offers both parent and adolescent perspectives in an effort to better understand adolescents’ peer socialization and parental monitoring among West African immigrant families, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Recommendations for mental health professions are discussed. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Immigration parents Assimilation Peers Adolescents West African families

Index Keywords

information processing occupation human friendship immigrant socialization clinical article monitoring family study interview West African United States mental health immigration friend grounded theory Adolescent Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84966333763&doi=10.1007%2fs10826-016-0431-8&partnerID=40&md5=62ab55158829737ccbf360f953ad5260
DOI: 10.1007/s10826-016-0431-8
ISSN: 10621024
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English