Middle-class African American families’ expectations for adolescents’ behavioural autonomy

Abstract

Timetables for adolescents’ behavioural autonomy were examined using a modified version of Feldman and Quatman’s (1988) teen timetable measure with 73 middle-class African American middle adolescents (M age 1 / 4 14.96 years, SD 1 / 4 1.29) and their parents (73 mothers and 44 fathers), who were followed longitudinally for 3 years. African American mothers’ and fathers’ expectations for adolescents’ behavioural autonomy did not differ, but expectations varied greatly across issues, and mothers consistently endorsed later timetables than did adolescents. Autonomy expectations each could be described in terms of two empirically derived, conceptually meaningful, and internally consistent composites pertaining to personal and prudential issues. They were earlier for personal than prudential issues and for prudential issues, for boys than for girls. Mothers’ (but not adolescents’) expectations for the desired timing of adolescents’ autonomy over personal and prudential issues predicted increased autonomy over those issues 3 years later.