Keeping adolescents safe from harm: management strategies of African-American families in a high-risk community

In this study, we investigated changes in parentsʹ use of restrictive and promotive management strategies from early to middle adolescence. We also examined the antecedents of these changes and their effects on adolescentsʹ achievement and mental health. Longitudinal data included 50 African American adolescents and their parents living in a low-income school district. There were three major findings. First, parents, on average, used less restrictive and promotive management strategies from early to middle adolescence. Second, parents who experienced increased depressive symptoms reported using more restrictive management strategies from early to middle adolescence. Third, adolescents whose parents increased their use of restrictive management strategies experienced more anger and lower grade point averages, whereas adolescents whose parents increased their use of promotive management strategies experienced less anger, higher grade point averages, and less absences from early to middle adolescence. These findings suggest that increasing parentsʹ use of promotive rather than restrictive management strategies may be more beneficial in supporting the academic achievement and mental health of adolescents living in highrisk neighborhoods.