# Viewing Teens as Responsible in Family: Implications for Chinese Youth's Academic and Social Adjustment

## TL;DR

This study shows how Chinese teens' views on family responsibility influence their academic and social development over time.

## Contribution

It identifies a mediating role of teens' sense of responsibility to parents in their adjustment outcomes.

## Key findings

- Teens' family obligation views predict better academic delay of gratification and motivational responses to failure.
- These views also enhance attachment security to both parents over time.
- A sense of responsibility to parents explains how these views lead to better adjustment.

## Abstract

Using three‐wave longitudinal data of 554 Chinese youth (mean age = 13.35 years; 50% girls; T1 = July 2020, T2 = January 2021, T3 = July 2021), this study examined how youth's views of teens regarding family obligation predict their academic functioning and relationship with parents, with attention to the mediating role of youth's sense of responsibility to parents. Results showed that views of teens regarding family obligation predicted youth's greater academic delay of gratification, motivational response to academic failure, and attachment security to mother and father over time. Importantly, youth's sense of responsibility to parents mediated the longitudinal associations between views of teens and their academic and social adjustment. Taken together, the findings elucidate why and how views of teens matter for positive youth development in a culturally sensitive manner.