Parent/peer relationship patterns among Mexican-origin adolescents

This study examined patterns of mothers ’ and fathers ’ acceptance and youths ’ friendship intimacy among 246 Mexican-origin 7th graders. Three patterns were identified using mixture modeling: (a) low mother and father acceptance, and average friendship intimacy (Low Parent Profile); (b) average mother acceptance, high father acceptance and friendship intimacy (Positive Profile); and (c) high mother acceptance, average father acceptance, and low friendship intimacy (Low Friend Profile). Profiles differed with respect to cultural characteristics and youth adjustment. Findings demonstrated the benefit of a person-oriented approach to illuminate how parental and peer experiences are connected in different ways for different youth and are linked with youth adjustment. Results highlighted the need for research to attend to the unique cultural experiences of minority youth. Keywords culture, mexican-origin youth, parent/peer relationships, youth adjustment The importance of youths ’ relationships with parents and peers during early adolescence has been established (Nickerson & Nagle, 2005; Youniss & Smollar, 1985). Young adolescents renegotiate their family relationships and roles, but they continue to rely on their families for support. Simultaneously, youth spend increasing amounts of time with peers, and peers become more influential (Buhrmester, 1990). Although parent and peer relationships are changing, most often these relationships are studied separately. Few studies have examined the ways in which relationships with parents are linked to relationships with peers during early adoles