Adolescent Secretive Behavior: African American and Hmong Adolescents’ Strategies and Justifications for Managing Parents’ Knowledge About Peers

Drawing upon the expectancy violation-realignment theory of autonomy development, this qualitative study examined African American and Hmong adolescent autonomy-seeking behaviors and parent–child communication about activities and relationships with peers. Twentytwo African American and 11 Hmong adolescents in grades 6–12 and 14 African American and 8 Hmong primary caregivers were interviewed. Participants discussed their perspectives on adolescent information management regarding activities with friends. Four categories of information management strategies and four primary types of adolescent justifications were identified. Adolescents were pragmatic in their decisions about secretive behaviors but also considered the impact of their behaviors on their relationships with parents. Adolescent strategies were consistent across ethnic groups, whereas justifications for secretive behaviors were embedded within cultural and family experiences.