The Impact of Socioeconomic Status upon Adolescent Identity Formation: The Mediating Role of Family Characteristics

ABSTRACT

Building upon the Family Stress Model, the present study investigated the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) upon adolescent identity formation (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) and the mediating role of family characteristics (i.e., family rituals, knowledge of family history, and identification with the family). Participants were 256 secondary school students (M_age = 16.81 SD = 1.10). Data were collected by means of self-report scales. A hypothetical model regarding the mediating role of family functioning between SES and identity development was examined. The findings indicated that SES had an indirect impact on the identity formation processes via family characteristics. Three distinct indirect pathways were identified. First, SES had a positive indirect effect on commitment mediated by the affective and symbolic significance of family rituals. Second, SES had a positive indirect effect upon in-depth exploration through family history knowledge. Third, SES had a negative indirect effect on reconsideration of commitment through identification with family. Overall, this study suggests low SES might prevent identity exploration and commitment through less balanced family characteristics.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescence
• identity formation
• socioeconomic status
• family

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.