PARENTING PRACTICES AND PEER GROUP AFFILIATION IN ADOLESCENCE

Social scientists have often assumed that parental influence is sharpl y curtailed at adolescence because of the rising counterinfluence of p eer groups, over which parents have little control. The present study tested a conceptual model that challenged this view by arguing that pa rents retain a notable but indirect influence over their teenage child 's peer associates. Data from a sample of 3,781 high school students ( ages 15-19) indicated that specific parenting practices (monitoring, e ncouragement of achievement, joint decision making) were significantly associated with specific adolescent behaviors (academic achievement, drug use, self-reliance), which in turn were significantly related to membership in common adolescent crowds (jocks, druggies, etc.). Findin gs encourage investigators to assess more carefully parents' role in a dolescents' peer group affiliations.