Parent's ethnic-racial socialization practices in families with young children experiencing homelessness

Abstract

Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) is an important developmental process that may have crucial significance for childrearing in families contending with discrimination or structural inequalities. Although the majority of families who experience homelessness are from historically marginalized populations in the United States, there is a dearth of research on ERS among families experiencing homelessness, particularly those with young children. To address this gap, the present study examined multiple dimensions of ERS reported by parents in a sample of families residing in an emergency shelter. Participants included 69 caregivers (84.1% female; Mage = 31.3; 69.6% Black/African American, 10.1% White/European American, 8.7% Native American/American Indian, 5.8% Multiracial, 5.8% Other) and their young children (63.8% male; Mage = 5.2; 63.8% Black/African American, 4.3% White/European American, 7.2% Native American/American Indian, 21.7% Multiracial, 2.9% Other). Results supported the hypothesis that caregivers experiencing homelessness would engage in ERS with their young children, with caregivers focusing more on cultural socialization than preparation for bias or promotion of mistrust. Families headed by 2 parents, who were employed, and had more children, engaged in more cultural socialization. Preparation for bias was related to child's ethnicity-race (Black), older age, higher verbal ability, and more siblings, whereas promotion of mistrust was related to parent attributes (e.g., older age, lower education). Unexpectedly, ERS was not related to parents’ income, distress, or perceived community discrimination, or to child gender. Results underscore the importance of understanding ERS in the contexts of sociocultural ecology and developmental timing.