Troubled in school: does maternal involvement matter for adolescents?

Jonathan Norris () and Martijn van Hasselt
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Jonathan Norris: The University of Strathclyde
Martijn van Hasselt: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Journal of Population Economics, 2023, vol. 36, issue 4, No 20, 2655-2689

Abstract: Abstract We estimate the causal effect of mother’s involvement on the amount of trouble an adolescent experiences in school based on a sample of high school students in the USA. Our measure of mother’s involvement encompasses discussing school-related matters and providing help with school projects. We use multiple measures of trouble in school to construct a composite that we link to noncognitive skills. Using an instrumental variable based on a suitably chosen peer group, our main finding is that an increase in maternal involvement leads to a significant decrease in adolescents’ trouble in school. This result is robust across a large number of sensitivity tests aimed at detecting selection effects, shocks at the peer group level, and further potential violations of the exclusion restriction. Additionally, we present evidence suggesting adolescents’ college aspirations, mental health and the perception of parental warmth as potential channels through which the mother’s involvement effect operates.

Keywords: School trouble; Noncognitive skills; Maternal involvement; Instrumental variables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C26 I31 J13 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s00148-023-00950-4

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