Adolescent paid labor and relationships with parents: early work-family linkages

Earnings represent an important mechanism by which changes occur in the adolescent-parent relationship. The present study examines adolescent earnings and multiple dimensions of relationships with parents by drawing on 4 waves of data from the Iowa Youth and Families project. Dynamic models based on the multiple perspectives of adolescent and parent are estimated with hierarchical equations. Between the seventh and tenth grades, rural adolescent earnings and nonleisure spending are related to time spent with the family, less parental monitoring, and more sharing of advice within the family. Earnings and nonleisure spending have positive associations with the affective quality of the adolescent-parent relationship. These results are discussed in terms of the multifaceted dimensions of adolescent work experiences and their implications for the life course.