We documented how many adolescents contribute to their families through chores, emotional support, earning wages, and caregiving for children and family members with chronic illness. Further, we examined whether adolescents who contribute to their families in more ways differ in mental health from peers, controlling for social and economic resources, and with attention to potential demographic moderators. We drew from a diverse survey of 1854 adolescents ages 14-17 in Massachusetts (60% girls, 52% White non-Hispanic, 19% Hispanic, 9% Black, 6% Asian). Adolescents who contributed to their families in relatively more ways were disproportionately older, girls, and Hispanic, and from families with relatively lower levels of social and economic resources. Contributing to the family in more ways was associated with significantly higher levels of distress (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms), controlling for background demographics. This association was consistent across age, gender, and racial/ethnic groups. It was also significant for youth from homes within all levels of social and economic resources, although it was stronger among youth from homes with relatively higher (compared to lower) levels of social and economic resources. These findings suggest that contributing to the family in many ways could be emotionally taxing over time, even though prior daily diary studies show it can also be rewarding day to day. Perhaps surprisingly, it may be especially taxing for adolescents from more advantaged homes who are less likely to help the family overall. More long-term, within-subject studies are needed to adjust for numerous co-occurring family circumstances and resources that may confound our findings.
Armstrong‐Carter et al. (Sun,) studied this question.