Abstract
This study explored the intergenerational transmission of Buddhist values between parents and adolescents aged 13-24 years in Thailand who live in intact, 2-parent households, and its impact on the behaviors of those adolescents. This research was guided by the following objectives. 1. To understand the process of internalization or socialization of Buddhist values between parents and adolescents who reside in the same households in Thailand, and its impact on the emergence of different kinds of behaviors in which the adolescents are engaged. 2. To examine the structural relationships and the direct and indirect effects of factors involved in the socialization of Buddhist values between parents and adolescents, as they have an impact on adolescents’ behaviors 3. To determine the degree of influence of each factor, which plays its role in the religious dynamic in the Thai family context, and its impact on the emergence of different kinds of behaviors in which Thai adolescents are engaged The study used the data from the 2011 survey of Social Status and culture in Thailand, conducted by the National Statistical Office of Thailand. After the data had been through the process of rigorous examination, and sophisticated data manipulation, including data merging, and verification, only adolescents who resided in 2-parent households were selected for further analysis. This yielded a total of 3,004 two-parent households, 76% of which had only 1 adolescent, 22% of which had 2 adolescent children, and 2.1% of which had 3 adolescent children. About 87% of all the households were father-headed, and the majority of the households (33.2%) were located in the Central part of Thailand. Findings from Bivariate analysis showed that adolescents’ age groups had statistically significant association with dillydallying, and gambling. The pattern evidently showed that as adolescents progressed in their age from early adolescence, middle adolescence, late adolescence to youth, the percentages of the adolescents engaging in dillydallying, and gambling steadily increased, and peaked when they reached the age of youth (22-24). Results from Multiple linear regression showed that fathers’ religiosity had a stronger effect on adolescents’ religiosity than did mothers’ religiosity. The direct path of influence from parental religiosity to adolescents’ altruistic behaviors indicated that fathers’ religiosity had a more powerful, positive influence on adolescents exhibiting altruistic behaviors than did mothers’ religiosity despite the fact that mothers were adhering to religious practices of all kinds to a larger extent than did the fathers. Additionally, no significant direct effects of fathers’ religiosity, and mothers’ religiosity on adolescents’ engaging in problem behaviors were found. Only adolescents’ own religiosity was found to exert negative influence on adolescents’ engaging in problem behaviors
October 26, 2016
