An Examination of the Latent Structure of Family Capital Estimated Using Family Resources and Processes Measures

Background and Purpose: The achievement of the traditional milestones associated with adulthood within the current cohort of young adults appears to differ by social class backgrounds, and these differences may be growing due to the differential support of natal families. Family background matter but the ways in which it matters and what attributes in the family of origin are most salient is a subject that has not been comprehensively interrogated. Extant research does not examine the multi-dimensional aspects of family resources (capital) and how this capital is deployed during transitions to adulthood. Building on the work of Pierre Bourdieu (1986) on forms of family capital and Annette Lareau’s (2000; 2003) work on family processes, this paper explores the latent structure of family capital when estimated using distinct family background resources and processes measures.

 

Methods: This paper used a subsample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, because measures of family processes used were only administered to respondents who were 12-14 years-old in 1997. Fifteen select indicators of family resources and processes were used, namely: Average Household Income, Average Household Net-worth, Highest Level of Education Completed by residential mother and father (parental figures), two indicators of supportive relationships between respondents and parental figures, two indicators of degree of monitoring by parental figures, three indicators of respondents’ social connections when faced with problems in Relationships, School, Employment or Training and with Finances, three indicators of closeness to parental figures when faced with above problems and a Home Enriching Environment Risk Index. This study used an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the underlying structure of a multi-dimensional latent construct of family capital.

Results: The total N for this sample is 4707. 51.5% were male and the rest female. 53.1% were White (Non-Black/Non-Hispanic), 25.8% were black, and 21.1% were Hispanic. Correlations for all continuous variables were significantly and positively correlated. An EFA of the 15 select variables revealed a 4-factor model, which accounted for 56.6% of the total variance. The 1^st Factor suggests Parental Involvement and loaded with indicators of parental monitoring and supportive relationships by parental figures (all loading > .70). The 2^nd Factor appears to capture Economic Capital of families with Average Household Income, Average Household Net-Worth, Parental Education and the Home Environment loading with ranges from .50 to .60. The 3^rd Factor captured respondents’ Social Networks if they needed help with Relationships, School, Employment or Training and with Finances (all loadings > .70). The 4^th Factor captured Closeness-to-Parental Figures when respondents needed help in the areas above (all loading > .50).

 

Conclusions and Implications: Future research should employ this model to examine the direct and indirect pathways through which this multi-dimensional family capital construct affects young adults’ life outcomes in areas such as educational achievement, employment and family formation. This research will also help practitioners develop interventions to assist disadvantaged families in supporting their transitioning young adults to successful adulthood.