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

J Adolesc Health. 2019 Mar;64(3):340-346. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.08.029. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

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.

Keywords: African-American; Alcohol use; Education; Epinephrine; Family; Routines; Self-regulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Development*
  • Adult
  • Black or African American / psychology
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data*
  • Family Characteristics
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Parenting / psychology*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Rural Population*
  • Self-Control / psychology
  • United States
  • Young Adult