Family Socialization Processes Research Articles

Family financial socialization during emerging adulthood: Insights from a cross-lagged panel model.

The present study tested the Gudmunson and Danes (2011) family financial socialization model (FFSM) using three waves of longitudinal data gathered from a college cohort of emerging adults in the United States. Specifically, we aimed to test the validity of this model in emerging adulthood (Aim 1), to verify whether the effect of the parent's socialization on a child's end financial outcome is mediated by intermediary financial outcomes (Aim 2), and to verify whether the effects found when testing the FFSM are stable across time points (Aim 3). Our findings indicate that of eight paths in the model between family socialization processes and financial socialization outcomes, seven paths were significant, thereby lending support for the validity of FFSM in emerging adulthood (Aim 1). Second, we found no mediation effects of parental financial socialization on emerging adult financial behavior and well-being via the internalization of parents' beliefs, values, and practices (Aim 2). We offer plausible explanations for this result. Last, we verified that the financial socialization processes and their effects are generally invariant across the beginning, the middle, and the end of the emerging adulthood (Aim 3). We interpret our findings in the context of the extant literature on emerging adults' transition to adult independence and provide insights for practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Cascading effects of Chinese American parents' COVID-19 racial discrimination and racial socialization on adolescents' adjustment.

Using a three-wave longitudinal sample of 108 Chinese American parent-adolescent dyads (Mparent-ageW1 = 45.44 years, 17% fathers; Madolescent-ageW1 = 13.34 years, 50% boys), this study examined the effects of parents' COVID-19-related racial discrimination experiences on adolescents' ethnic identity exploration and anxiety as mediated by parents' awareness of discrimination (AOD) socialization and moderated by parents' anxiety and racial socialization competency (RSC). Parents' racial discrimination experiences in 2020 predicted adolescents' greater ethnic identity exploration or greater anxiety in 2022 via parents' greater use of AOD in 2021, depending on the levels of parents' anxiety and RSC. These findings highlighted individual and contextual factors impacting racial socialization processes in Chinese American families.

How Parents in Multiethnic-Racial Families Share Cultural Assets with Their Children.

Relatively little psychology research has investigated racial-ethnic socialization processes in multiethnic-racial families despite the fact that more than 1 in 7 children born in the United States today have parents from different ethnic-racial backgrounds. The present study seeks to contribute to the extant research by exploring how parents in multiethnic-racial families seek to help their children access and benefit from two(or more) sets of cultural assets. Accordingly, this study considers key themes about cultural socialization that emerged in qualitative interviews with parents in multiethnic-racial families (n = 37). Key themes emerging from these interviews included the importance of both co-parents: (a) putting in the time and effort to learn about each other's cultures and cultural practices; (b) being reflective about the practices, values, and traditions that were and were not important to them to share with their children; and (c) protecting their children from racial micro-aggressions in a variety of settings by advocating for the recognition, inclusion, and appreciation of their children's multiple ethnic-racial heritages. There is such a paucity of research on cultural socialization approaches in multiethnic-racial familiesthat these perspectives from parents offer both valuable building blocks for future research efforts as well as practical guidance to the growing number of multiethnic-racial families in the United States and elsewhere.

Relationship between Gender Roles and Marital Stability among Couples in Selected Counties of Kenya

There is increased evidence of marital conflict, instability, separation and divorce both globally and in Kenya. There is a possibility that this could be attributed to changes in perceptions and performance of gender roles by the partners in a marriage arising from the impact of global influences on family socialization processes. This study sought to explore the relationship between gender roles (perceptions and performances) and marital stability among couples in selected counties in Kenya. The study used a correlational research design and was guided by the Family Systems approach. The target population was 6.83 million couples in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu counties of Kenya. Multistage sampling that included stratified, convenient and purposive sampling was used to draw a sample of402 couples for the study. Data was collected using researcher developed questionnaires measuring gender roles and marital stability. Feedback from the pilot study was used to strengthen the validity and reliability of the instruments. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Spearman rank order correlation was used to determine the nature of the relationship between gender roles (perceptions and performance) and marital stability. The findings showed that there was a significant weak positive relationship between gender role perception and marital stability, rs(804) = .393, p< .05.Further, there was a significant moderate positive relationship between gender role performance and marital stability, rs(804) = .414, p<.05.These findings point to the need to incorporate gender role awareness into premarital and marital counselling by family counsellors and therapists as well as in the development of strategies by key stakeholders to strengthen marital stability among couples in Kenya.

Relationship between Gender Roles and Marital Stability among Couples in Selected Counties of Kenya

There is increased evidence of marital conflict, instability, separation and divorce both globally and in Kenya. There is a possibility that this could be attributed to changes in perceptions and performance of gender roles by the partners in a marriage arising from the impact of global influences on family socialization processes. This study sought to explore the relationship between gender roles (perceptions and performances) and marital stability among couples in selected counties in Kenya. The study used a correlational research design and was guided by the Family Systems approach. The target population was 6.83 million couples in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu counties of Kenya. Multistage sampling that included stratified, convenient and purposive sampling was used to draw a sample of 402 couples for the study. Data was collected using researcher developed questionnaires measuring gender roles and marital stability. Feedback from the pilot study was used to strengthen the validity and reliability of the instruments. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Spearman rank order correlation was used to determine the nature of the relationship between gender roles (perceptions and performance) and marital stability. The findings showed that there was a significant weak positive relationship between gender role perception and marital stability, rs(804) = .393, p < .05.Further, there was a significant moderate positive relationship between gender role performance and marital stability, rs(804) = .414, p<.05.These findings point to the need to incorporate gender role awareness into premarital and marital counselling by family counsellors and therapists as well as in the development of strategies by key stakeholders to strengthen marital stability among couples in Kenya.

Resilience and Family Socialization Processes in Ethnic Minority Youth: Illuminating the Achievement-Health Paradox.

Youth in marginalized communities who “strive” to rise above adversity, including systemic racism and poverty, are considered “resilient.” African-American, Latinx, and Asian-American youth often achieve admirable academic success despite limited social capital and high early life stress by adopting a “striving persistent behavioral style” (SPBS). SPBS may be supported by family socialization processes that facilitate reliance on self-regulation processes. Unfortunately, a young person’s resilience in one domain (i.e., academic) can come at a cost in other domains, including physical and mental health morbidities that are under-identified and under-treated. Indeed, research suggests a link between SPBS in the face of adversity and later health morbidities among ethnic minority youth. Herein, we describe SPBS as an adaptation to minority stress that not only promotes social mobility but may also stoke physical and mental health disparities. We review how family processes related to academic, emotional, and ethnic-racial socialization can facilitate the striving persistent behavioral style. We emphasize the double bind that ethnic minority families are caught in and discuss directions for future research and clinical implications for individual and family-level interventions. While needed, we argue that individual and family-level interventions represent a near-term work around. Solutions and factors that shape the need for SPBS and its cost must be addressed structurally.

What Makes Families Healthy? Examining Correlates of Family Health in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adults in the United States

Conceptually, family health is crucial for individual health across the lifespan, yet previous research has lacked a validated family health measure. The current study examines the relationships between individual physical (physical activity) and mental health (depressive symptoms and executive functioning) and social determinants of health (socioeconomic status) with four domains of family health using a recently validated family health measure. The sample included 1050 US adults (40.30 years; 53.78% female) that completed a survey. The results of the structural equation model revealed that depression was associated with reduced family health across all domains. Executive functioning was associated with better family social and emotional processes and family healthy lifestyle. Physical activity was associated with improved family healthy lifestyle only. Income was positively associated with each domain, but subjective SES was not associated with any domain. The findings indicate the interconnectedness of family health and individual factors, particularly with depression and wealth.

HEALTH AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE FAMILY CARE, EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIALIZATION PROCESS ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE FUNCTIONING OF PROFESSIONAL FOSTER FAMILIES IN SZCZECIN

Health is in the area of analysis of many sciences, e.g. psychology, sociology, pedagogy or philosophy. Each of them presents health and its specificity in a specific way. The most frequently indicated dimensions of health are: physical, mental (including intellectual and emotional), social, spiritual and transcendent. Contemporary pedagogical concepts of health emphasize that they can be considered as: value, resource (wealth), means, aim, a concept emphasizing the benefits of being healthy. Attention is also paid to the health mandala and the eudaimonic concept of family health. Thanks to these concepts, health is part of family care, educational and socialization processes. Parents, the main implementers of integrated interactions, create, among others, health behaviors, attitudes or lifestyle of their children. The subject of the research was the course of care, educational and socialization processes in professional foster families functioning in the city of Szczecin. The aim of the research was to find out about the specificity of family care, educational and socialization processes. The activities of professional foster families in caring for: children's health, their health attitudes and behaviors as well as health as a value in human life were especially emphasized. The research method was to triangulate the diagnostic survey method with the qualitative dimension of the case study. The technique used for the study was a questionnaire, in-depth qualitative interview and direct observation. The obtained empirical material was subjected to an in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis with elements of interpretability of the data, however, efforts are being made to make a holistic diagnosis of the family. Axiologization of health attitudes in the surveyed families and making children aware of the need to take care of their own health on the basis of resources at hand are particularly significant for the armory.

Effects of positive and negative childhood experiences on adult family health

BackgroundThe objective of the study was to determine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) with family health in adulthood. Prior research indicates that ACEs and PCEs affect individual physical and mental health in adulthood. However, little is known about how ACEs and PCEs affect family health. Families develop and function through patterns and routines which are often intergenerational. Therefore, a person’s early experiences may influence their family’s health in adulthood.MethodA survey was administered to 1030 adults through Qualtrics, with participants recruited using quota-sampling to reflect the demographic characteristics of U.S. adults. Participants completed a survey about their childhood experiences, four domains of family health (family social and emotional health processes, family healthy lifestyle, family health resources, and family external social supports), and demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.ResultsAfter controlling for marriage, education, gender, race and age, ACEs were negatively associated with family social and emotional health processes and family health resources when accounting for PCEs; PCEs were positively associated with all four family health domains irrespective of ACEs.ConclusionChildhood experiences affect family health in adulthood in the expected direction. Even in the presence of early adversity, positive experiences in childhood can provide a foundation for creating better family health in adulthood.

A Family Socialization Model of Transdiagnostic Risk for Psychopathology in Preschool Children.

This longitudinal study examined the presence of general (P) and specific internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) psychopathology factors in a community sample of preschool children. We assessed child and contextual correlates of P, INT, and EXT, and tested a model connecting socioeconomic risk to these factors through family socialization processes and child cognitive abilities. Participants were 501 children recruited at birth and followed up at 18months and 3years. Child and family functioning were measured using parental reports, observation, and standardized assessments. Both mothers and their partners reported on children's mental health, permitting the estimation of a trifactor model of psychopathology that captured caregivers' shared and unique perspectives with respect to P, INT, and EXT. Results revealed several transdiagnostic correlates of the common-perspective P factor, including family income, maternal education, maternal depression, and maternal responsiveness, as well as marginal associations with sibling negativity and children's language and theory of mind abilities. Several shared and unique correlates of INT and EXT were also observed. Structural equation modelling revealed that the effects of family income and maternal education on P operated indirectly through maternal responsiveness, while the effects of maternal education on INT and EXT operated through maternal reflective capacity, albeit in opposite directions. Together, these results suggest that the effects of socioeconomic disadvantage on general psychopathology are organized in a temporal cascade from distal to proximal risk.

The Family Health Scale: Reliability and Validity of a Short- and Long-Form.

Families strongly influence the health of communities and individuals across the life course, but no validated measure of family health exists. The absence of such a measure has limited the examination of family health trends and the intersection of family health with individual and community health. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Family Health Scale (FHS), creating a multi-factor long-form and a uniform short-form. The primary sample included 1,050 adults recruited from a national quota sample Qualtrics panel. Mplus version 7 was used to analyze the data using a structural equation modeling framework. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed a 32-item, 4-factor long-form scale. The four factors included (1) family social and emotional health processes; (2) family healthy lifestyle; (3) family health resources; and (4) family external social supports. A 10-item short-form of the FHS was also validated in the initial sample and a second sample of 401 adults. Both the long-form and short-form FHS correlated in the expected direction with validated measures of family functioning and healthy lifestyle. A preliminary assessment of clinical cutoffs in the short-form were correlated with depression risk. The FHS offers the potential to assess family health trends and to develop accessible, de-identified databases on the well-being of families. Important next steps include validating the scale among multiple family members and collecting longitudinal data.

Financial Socialization: A Decade in Review.

The financial socialization individuals receive is associated not only with their future financial wellbeing but also relational, mental, and physical wellbeing. This paper is a review of the literature on financial socialization, especially papers published between 2010 and 2019 in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues. We first review family financial socialization theory and then review empirical documentation for the theory, organized by (a) family socialization processes (e.g., parent financial modeling, parent-child financial discussion, and experiential learning as three primary methods of financial socialization) and (b) financial socialization outcomes (e.g., financial attitudes, financial knowledge, financial behaviors, and financial wellbeing). Finally, we discuss future directions for the field.

Facilitating Maturation Through Social Bonds Among Delinquent Youth in the Transition to Adulthood

Maturation has recently been revived as a relevant, and complex, integrated theoretical concept with empirical support, particularly among offender populations. The theoretical concept evolved from an abstract, age-associated term, to a series of specific domains, including psychosocial, adult role, identity, civic, and cognitive processes. While existing research has empirically supported the interrelated nature of these domains, questions remain over whether these internal processes may be externally influenced, particularly among offenders. The current study uses the longitudinal Pathways to Desistance Study to test whether specific social bonding experiences, relating to family socialization processes and social bonds within the community, facilitate maturational growth within specific domains of the integrated maturation theory. Supplemental analyses focus on age-specific considerations of social and maturational change. The current study identifies significant within-individual variation in adult role maturation through family social processes. Findings also show consistent between-individual influences of positive family bonding stimulating domains of maturation. Social bonds with other adult figures provide no support for maturational growth. Maturational growth not only involves distinct domains influencing each other, as individuals age, but is also impacted by positive familial bonds among individuals with significant offense histories, in both adolescence and early adulthood.

Ethnic socialization, identity, and values associated with U.S. Latino/a young adults' prosocial behaviors.

Given the increasing saliency of Latino/a young adults in the United States, there is a need to consider developmental theories that may better capture the cultural mechanisms by which individuals from this specific ethnic group are socialized to engage in prosocial behaviors. The inclusion of cultural processes (including identity and values) might be particularly important in models that investigate family socialization processes and prosocial behaviors, because scholars have suggested that cultural values may be transmitted via parental practices and beliefs, including ethnic socialization practices. Participants included 381 U.S. Latino/a young adults (54.2% female; Mage = 21.99). Young adults completed measures of family ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, and endorsement of familism and respect values. They also completed a multidimensional measure of prosocial behavior, assessing different types and targets of helping. Structural equation modeling was conducted, and there was support for the importance of ethnic identity and cultural values as mechanisms through which ethnic socialization is associated with prosocial behaviors. Gender moderated these relations, such that family respect played a relatively more prominent mediating role for men, whereas familism played a mediating role for both men and women. The findings emphasize the central role of familial ethnic socialization and cultural processes in fostering prosocial behaviors among U.S. Latino/as but reveal specific patterns of relations based on gender and on target of helping. These findings highlight the need for more research on gender-based and relation-based patterns of prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latinos/a young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

VALUES IN THE FAMILY - THE SPECIFICITY AND TRANSFER IN THE PROCESS OF FORMING THE IDENTITY OF THE CHILD

The issues of family functioning constituted and still constitute an interesting, multidimensional and integral area of learning and research for many sciences and scientific disciplines. Among them, pedagogy, psychology and sociology are the leaders. In a special way, researchers focus on the specificity of family educational and socialization processes and their axiological and normative context. Without it, all family influences as the first and primary educative environment would be half-hearted and ineffective. The family as a primary and basic social group or a natural educational environment is a collection of people who strive for common goals, constitute an autonomous separate whole, where the attitude of building its interior are direct and indirect influences and a system of norms and values. A family understood in this way has a strong, mutual, long-lasting emotional-emotional bond; personal, direct saturation with the emotions of contact between family members; internal consistency and high involvement in activities for other members; informal, spontaneous way of organizing life within the family, community of residence, name, property and spiritual culture, and biological continuity. The family carries out the most important process for the development of the individual, namely education and socialization (Tyszka 2001, 15). Education and socialization in a family saturated with a specific normative dimension directly contribute to the optimal development of the individual in all areas of its functioning and effective fulfillment of various functions in social life. The aim of the research was to learn about the system of values in the family, which significantly contribute to shaping the identity of a child brought up in a professional foster family acting as a family emergency. I draw attention to the fact that I considered this process in a dualistic perspective, i.e. I also took into account the quality of the primary impact of families of origin of children staying in foster families in the context of educational activities of families serving as family emergency services. The presented material is a part of the research project "Foster family - an opportunity for a better future for the child" carried out at the University of Szczecin at the Faculty of Humanities. In the research process, I used a triangulation research model, i.e. I combined survey studies with a qualitative case study. The techniques used in the survey are: questionnaires for foster care coordinators, social workers, family assistants or other people supporting educational and socialization activities towards children growing up in family emergency. However, as part of a case study, qualitative interviews with foster parents and family observation were conducted.

Family Socialization for Racism and Heterosexism: Experiences of Latinx Sexual Minority Adolescents and Young Adults

Experiences of racism and heterosexism are common among marginalized adolescents and young adults. Family socialization processes that aim to prepare young people for bias have been studied among racial–ethnic minority populations; however, they have not been investigated among sexual minority populations. This study examined the associations among preparation for bias related to ethnicity and sexual orientation, minority stressors (i.e., bias-based victimization and discrimination) attributed to ethnicity and sexual orientation, and well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and self-esteem) in a sample of 236 Latinx adolescents and young adults ( Mage = 19). All minority stressors were associated with poorer well-being. Preparation for bias related to ethnicity was not associated with well-being; however, preparation for bias related to sexual orientation was associated with lower self-esteem. Furthermore, preparation for bias related to sexual orientation moderated the association between bias-based victimization and depressive symptoms such that the association was only significant at high levels of preparation.

Who Counts as Family? Family Typologies, Family Support, and Family Undermining Among Young Adult Gay and Bisexual Men

Gay and bisexual men may form chosen families in addition to or in place of families of origin. However, the characteristics of these diverse families remain largely unexamined in the quantitative literature. The purpose of this study was to develop a family typology based on responses from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of young adult gay and bisexual men (YGBM) recruited from the Detroit Metropolitan Area (N=350; 18-29 years old). To explore the role of family, we then examined family social support and social undermining in relation to YGBM psychological distress within different family types. A series of multivariate regressions were used to examine associations between family social support and social undermining with depression and anxiety outcomes. The majority (88%) of YGBM included family of origin in their definitions of family and 63% indicated having chosen families. Associations between family social processes and psychological outcomes varied by type of family, suggesting that family composition shapes how perceptions of support and undermining relate to experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Chosen families play a prominent role in the lives of YGBM and should not be overlooked in family research. Findings also highlight the importance of examining co-occurring family social support and social stress processes to further address psychological distress symptoms among YGBM.

Don't Push Your Luck! Educational Family Board (Not Bored) Game for School-Age Children Living with Chronic Conditions

PurposeChildren who are living with chronic conditions may be supported in self-care through enjoyable active learning and family social processes. This research focused on development and evaluation of “Don't Push Your Luck!”, an educational board game designed to inspire family discussion about chronic conditions, and help affected children learn about self-care choices and consequences. Design and MethodsMixed-method research was conducted with families from one outpatient Cystic Fibrosis Clinic and four Hemophilia Treatment Centres in Canada and United States (N=72). In phase I, board game prototype and questionnaires were refined with affected boys, siblings, and parents living with hemophilia (n=11), compared with families living with cystic fibrosis (n=11). In phase II, final board game was evaluated with families living with hemophilia (n=50). Data collection included pre-post-game questionnaires on decision-making and Haemo-QoL Index©, and post-game enjoyment. Analysis included descriptive statistics, inferential statistics (non-parametric), and qualitative themes. ResultsFindings revealed this game was an enjoyable and effective resource to engage families in self-care discussions. Key themes included communication, being involved, knowing, decisions and consequences, and being connected. Qualitative and quantitative findings aligned. Statistical significance suggests the game enhanced family engagement to support decision-making skills, as parents identified that the game helped them talk about important topics, and children gained insight regarding family supports and self-care responsibility. ConclusionsThis board game was an effective, developmentally appropriate family resource to facilitate engagement and conversation about everyday life experiences in preparation for self-care. Practice ImplicationsThere is promising potential to extend this educational family board game intervention with a greater range of school-age children and families living with chronic conditions.

‘We value your food but not your language’: Education systems and nation-building processes in Flanders

Education systems are crucial social and cultural apparatuses. They are designed to homogenize at least to a large extent the discourses and praxis of the citizens of a nation by channelling them as much as possible through a unified educational system. However, in ethnically and culturally diversified societies, these homogenizing social institutions can become counterproductive as they are primarily designed by and for the dominant ethnic group. This issue is particularly important in nation-building processes, something that is still explicitly ongoing in Flanders (Belgium), as these institutions put forward a unified nation with one culture and language. In this article we study how these macro-level processes can be related to the interaction processes in and between families and schools. The central research question this article tries to answer is: is the idea of a culturally and linguistically unified representation of the Flemish nation relevant when studying teacher-pupil-parent relations? We aim to build upon the existing literature by relating meso-level processes of institutional racialization and culturalization to micro-level interactions in educational settings and to macro-level processes of nation-building in Flanders. To answer these questions, we rely upon data from two qualitative research projects: (1) one study that focuses on the family socialization processes in ethnic majority and minority families and collected 42 interviews with parents; and (2) a second study that focuses on the educational trajectories of students, with specific attention on the school environment, and collected 114 interviews with students and 57 interviews with school actors. The findings show clear similarities between the macro-level processes and the interactions between families and schools in such a way that the article discusses if ongoing and explicit nation-building processes are capable of appreciating the existing diversity in a nation.

Muslim Immigrant Parents’ Social Status Moderates the Link Between Religious Parenting and Children’s Identification with the Heritage and Host Culture

This study addresses the question of whether and when religious parenting is a bridge or a barrier to Muslim immigrant children’s integration. Integration was defined as children’s identification with the heritage culture and the host culture. Participants included 210 self-identified Turkish Muslim mothers, children (aged 9-14), and 115 fathers in Germany. All family members filled in questionnaires on identification with Turks and identification with Germans; in addition both parents reported on religious parenting and children on religiosity. Results of multivariate regression analyses revealed that religious parenting was negatively related to children’s identification with Germans but positively related to children’s identification with Turks through increased child religiosity. However, additional multiple-group analyses revealed that only the religious parenting of lower educated parents and first-generation mothers reduced the likelihood of children’s identification with Germans. The religious parenting of higher educated parents and second-generation mothers did not affect children’s identification with Germans but promoted children’s identification with Turks. Taken together, the findings highlight the diverse roles of religious parenting in cultural socialization processes in Muslim immigrant families.