The Profundity of the Everyday: Family Routines in Adolescence Predict Development in Young Adulthood

Allen W. Barton*, Gene H. Brody, Tianyi Yu, Steven M. Kogan, Edith Chen, Katherine B. Ehrlich

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: The current study was designed to investigate the unique, long-term effects of family routines during adolescence on multiple developmental domains in young adulthood for rural African-Americans. Methods: Prospective data were collected annually for 6 years from 504 rural African-American youth and their parents, beginning when the youth were 16 years of age. Results: Results indicated that youth whose primary caregivers reported more family routines during adolescence (e.g., regularly eating together as a family, consistent bedtime) reported less alcohol use, greater emotional self-regulation, lower epinephrine levels, and higher rates of college/university enrollment in young adulthood. These effects were evident for all outcomes controlling for socioeconomic risk, sex, and available baseline (age 16 years) measures; for a subset of outcomes, the effects of family routines persisted even after taking into account levels of supportive parenting, harsh parenting, and household chaos. Conclusions: Findings substantiate the benefits of consistent, predictable family environments for healthy development and suggest that family routines constitute an important, yet understudied, factor for adolescents’ long-term development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)340-346
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Adolescent Health
Volume64
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2019

Funding

This research was supported by Award Number R01 HD030588 from the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development, and Award Number P30 DA027827 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Keywords

  • African-American
  • Alcohol use
  • Education
  • Epinephrine
  • Family
  • Routines
  • Self-regulation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Profundity of the Everyday: Family Routines in Adolescence Predict Development in Young Adulthood'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this