GENERATIONAL-DIFFERENCES IN PERCEIVED RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADOLESCENT SUPPORT - A STUDY OF ADOLESCENT FEMALES, MOTHERS, AND MATERNAL GRANDMOTHERS

The issue of parent and adolescent responsibilities was explored in a sample of 195 adolescent females, 192 mother's and 153 maternal grandm others to assess whether generational differences in views about respo nsibility, particularly financial ones, existed. A 43-item Responsibil ity Scale was developed, and principal components analysis of the inst rument yielded five factors. Significant generational differences emer ged on several items, with the largest generational differences being found on the items comprising a factor describing parental protection of family values. Whereas all three generations viewed parents as havi ng responsibilities to provide material goods, adolescents were more l ikely to link pal ental provision of material goods with autonomy issu es than were their mothers or grandmothers.