Family Cohesiveness and Adolescent Autonomy in Decision-making

SynopsisUsing a Family Questionnaire, family cohesiveness and adolescent autonomy in decision-making were explored for a sample of 520 fifteen year olds, differing on the basis of sex, social class, and ethnicity. All adolescents in the study saw themselves as making most of the decisions influencing their lives. Yet the influence of the family was still evident and differed depending on sex, class and ethnicity. Family cohesiveness and autonomy emerged as 2 independent factors, with girls higher on both dimensions and adolescents o f ethnic origin higher on cohesiveness. A family focus on social networks was more evident for adolescents of ethnic and lower socioeconomic status origin. Overall, the results suggest that in the transition from adolescence to adulthood, different values are placed on the maintenance of family cohesiveness, the focus of social networks, and autonomy, depending on sex, social class and ethnic origin.