Examining the Influence of Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Parent-Child Bonds Among Black American, Hispanic American, and White American Males
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Authors
Garry, Crystal
Issue Date
2026-03
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Ecological Systems , Parent-Child Bonds , Psychosocial Development
Alternative Title
Abstract
Parent-child bonds often influence psychosocial development, which may impact an individual’s involvement in social systems such as education, vocation, and criminal justice. Males have historically been linked to more negative social system involvement. The problem addressed in this study was that there are disparities in the extent that males bond with their parents, which may moderate social and psychological outcomes. This quantitative correlational study examined to what extent ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) are related to the bonds Black American, Hispanic American, and White American males have with their parents. Sixty-eight males aged 18–30 completed an online survey about their gender, ethnicity, age, and their recollections of their parents’ SES, attitudes, and behaviors during their first 16 years of life. The majority of participants (66.2%) were Black American (n = 45), with 17.6% (n = 12) and 16.2% (n = 11) Hispanic American and White American, respectively. Participants primarily identified as living in a Low SES household at some point during the first 16 years of their lives (97.1%, n=66), with 2.9% (n = 2) living in a Non-low SES household. A Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of the relationships between ethnicity, SES, and parent-child bonds. The findings revealed no statistically significant relationship between ethnicity and parent-bonds, and no statistically significant relationship between SES and parent-child bonds. Future researchers may benefit from using the updated bioecological systems theory and a modified version of the Parental Bonding Instrument on a larger sample of the population, while employing a mixed methodology study and considering nuances not observed in the current study such as non-traditional households. These findings may also have implications for policy and procedure development across organizations providing human and social services.