Perceived parental monitoring and health risk behaviors among urban low-income African-American children and adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: To examine gender and age differences among urban, low-income, African-American children and adolescents in perceived monitoring by their parents, and the association of perceived parental monitoring with family characteristics, health risk behaviors, and risk perceptions. Methods: Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 1992 ( n = 455), 1994 ( n = 355), and 1996 ( n = 349). Respondents aged 9–17 years were recruited from low-income urban areas including public housing communities and associated recreation centers. Both multivariate analysis of variance and correlation analysis were performed. Results: Low levels of perceived parental monitoring were associated with participation in several health risk behaviors, including sexual behavior, substance/drug use, drug trafficking, school truancy, and violent behaviors. Females perceived themselves to be more monitored than did males. In general, the perceived parental monitoring tended to decrease with advancing age of the youth. Conclusions: The strong inverse correlation between perceived parental monitoring and adolescent risk behavior suggests that parental monitoring initiatives may be an effective intervention tool. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the long-term relationship between perceived parental monitoring and adolescent risk involvements.