Emotion socialization practices in Latina and European-American mothers of preschoolers with behavior problems

Abstract

The present study examined mothers’ emotion socialization of three-year-old children with behavior problems to determine whether emotion socialization practices, as well as the relation between these practices and child functioning, varied across ethnicities. Participants were 134 preschoolers with behavior problems. Mothers were European-American (n = 96) and Latina (n = 38; predominantly Puerto Rican). Audiotaped mother-child interactions were coded for emotion socialization behaviors. Latina and European-American mothers used similar emotion socialization practices on most dimensions. Latina mothers were more likely to minimize or not respond to their children's negative affect. However, this difference did not appear to have ramifications for children. This study provided evidence for both differences and similarities across ethnicities on emotion socialization practices.