Parental Socialization Research Articles

The agency of attachment orientation and parenthood: an investigation of individuals’ social comparison and self-gifting motivations

PurposeWe aim to ascertain whether and how an individual’s social comparison affects their self-gifting motivations (SGMs).Design/methodology/approachWe survey a North American sample comprising 619 Canadian and US respondents. We apply partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine relationships between social comparison, attachment orientation, parenthood, and self-gifting motivations.FindingsWe find that social comparison positively impacts self-gifting motivations. Additionally, we find that attachment orientation and parenthood can moderate social comparison’s impact on positively valenced SGMs and negatively valenced SGMs, respectively.Originality/valueWe elevate and expand existing scholarship on consumers’ self-gifting. Through the current study, we contribute new, empirical evidence illuminating how individuals’ attachment orientation (i.e. secure v. insecure) and parenthood status (i.e. parent v. non-parent) serve as agency-oriented moderators to temper social comparison’s influences on SGMs.

Connections between Parental Emotion Socialization and Internalizing Problems in Adolescents: Examining the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies and Moderating Effect of Gender.

To explore the mediating effect of emotion regulation strategies on the correlation between parental emotion socialization and internalizing problems in adolescents, as well as the moderating effect of gender, a questionnaire survey was administered to 1078 junior high school students (Mage = 13.96 ± 1.00). The results revealed that supportive parental emotion socialization was negatively correlated with adolescents internalizing problems, whereas non-supportive parental emotion socialization was positively correlated with such problems. Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression strategies functioned as parallel mediators in the relationship between supportive parental emotion socialization and adolescent internalizing problems, while only expressive suppression mediated the correlation between non-supportive emotion socialization and adolescent internalizing problems. Gender did not exhibit a moderating effect on the mediation model. These findings suggest that supportive parental responses to adolescents' negative emotions can reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety by cultivating increased utilization of cognitive reappraisal strategies and decreased reliance on expressive suppression strategies among adolescents, whereas non-supportive responses exacerbate the occurrence of depression and anxiety by promoting greater utilization of expressive suppression strategies. In addition, no significant gender differences were observed in the mediation effects. These findings emphasize the importance of prevention programs focusing on parental emotion socialization in adolescence.

Developing a Tool for Assessing Perceived Parental Socialization of Emotions in Adolescents and Young Adults.

Parenting practices have been described as the practices employed by a parent and the parent-child communication, with the focus on raising a child in the best possible manner while instilling cultural,ethical, and personal values. One similar yet different construct that holds significance in the development of a child is parental socialization of emotion. Parental socialization of emotion is the interaction between the parents and child regarding the emotional experience of the child. This has been considered an essential marker of the development of the emotional and social competence of an individual. There are several scales in the aspect of parenting practices. However, scales for parental socialization of emotionespecially considering the perception of adolescents and young adults have yet to fully be explored. The aim of the study is to establish a comprehensive tool that enables the measurement of perceived parental socialization of emotion (PPSE). The process of tool construction, data collection, and analysis was done in five phases that included reviewing existing tools and identification of domains (Phase 1); generation of an item pool (Phase 2); content validity, face validity, and inter-rater reliability (Phase 3); finalization of the tool for data collection (Phase 4); and data collection and analysis (Phase 5). The study for tool construction included participants from ages 13-28 years representing adolescents and young adults from schools and colleges located in New Delhi, India, as well as Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. The research designused was a cross-sectional design, and the data were collected through purposive sampling, including males (N = 337) and females (N = 424). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to check the factorability and for item reduction. The results aided in reducing the number of items from 160 to 46 including the process of content validity, inter-rater reliability, item-total statistic, and factor loading of EFA. The factors above the eigenvalue of 3 were retained whileitems above the factor loading of 0.50 were taken into consideration. A good Cronbach's alpha coefficientof 0.88 for the overall tool was established, with 0.89, 0.84, and 0.87 for the domains Awareness, Acceptance, and Coaching, respectively. The scale constructed includes both the positive and negative emotions of an individual and tries to understand the perspective of the receiver of the parenting practice. The study helps in understanding the phenomenon of PPSE, which might also aid in creating awareness regarding efficient parenting practices.

Adolescent Peer Relationship Difficulties, Prosociality, and Parental Emotion Socialization: Moderating Roles of Adolescent Gender

The present study examined longitudinal, transactional associations between youth social adjustment (prosociality, peer relationship difficulties) and parental emotion socialization in early adolescence. Adolescent gender was considered as a potential moderator. Eighty-seven adolescent-parent dyads (50 girls, 37 boys) participated in 8th grade, with follow-up waves in 9th and 10th grade. Adolescents reported their experiences of peer victimization and their parents’ emotion socialization responses, and parents reported youth prosocial behavior and peer relation problems. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicated transactional associations between parent supportive/unsupportive responses and adolescent peer relations and prosociality over time, some of which were moderated by adolescent gender. Increases in parental supportive emotion socialization corresponded to decreased experiences of peer victimization over time for girls, but not boys. When peer victimization increased over time, girls reported less parental supportive responses and all adolescents reported receiving more unsupportive responses from parents. For all adolescents, parents’ increased supportive responses also corresponded to decreased peer problems and increased prosocial behavior. As prosocial behavior increased, so did parental supportive responses. Increases in parents’ unsupportive responses related to decreased prosocial behavior, and increases in adolescent prosocial behavior related to decreases in parents’ unsupportive responses. Results suggest that there is mutual influence between parent emotion socialization and adolescent social adjustment. Adolescent girls appear to uniquely benefit from parents’ supportive emotional socialization in relation to their experiences of peer victimization. Potential mechanisms and implications are discussed.

Rejecting Multiracial Stereotypes: Parental Socialization Practices at the Intersection of Race and Gender

Stereotypes surrounding multiracial individuals include being viewed as inherently attractive because of their mixed-race background, and, therefore, having a superiority complex, which reinforces racial hierarchies and creates division and tension within communities of color. This superiority complex is often rooted in colorism and proximity to White beauty standards. Drawing upon in-depth, semistructured interviews with 19 sets of interracial parents in the United States, I describe parents’ awareness and perceptions of these stereotypes at the intersection of race and gender. Parents understand that their Black multiracial boys must contend with both multiracial stereotypes and controlling images of Black men and boys. I argue that parents’ understanding of both multiracial stereotypes, like the Biracial Beauty Stereotype, and controlling images of Black boys and men informs their racial socialization practices as they help their child(ren) build a positive racial identity and prepare for discrimination.

The Self-Concept and Its Relationship with Parental Socialization and Environment in Primary School Students.

Self-concept in this article is considered in physical education, with the physical self-concept being in the foreground, and it is analyzed in this quantitative study to determine whether it is related with socio-economic environment and parental styles, focusing on primary education students in the Region of Murcia. Primary education students are in a critical period for the development of self-concept. To assess self-concept levels, socio-economic and cultural environments as well as parental socialization styles, the PSPP, NSE and ESPA29 questionnaires were respectively used. They were used to collect data from 937 students across various educational centers in upper courses (4th, 5th and 6th grades of primary education) to uncover realities in child society and their relationship with self-concept. In the first objective, parental socialization styles are shown to be related with self-concept. However, in the second objective, it is seen that the socio-economic environment is more related with self-concept than parental styles. Finally, the results of the third objective show that there is indeed a relationship with the socio-economic environment and the student body self-concept, both at the family level and for fathers and mothers independently. It is important to consider both the parental styles and the socio-economic environment in which primary education students develop for the development of self-concept. Additionally, educational implications and new lines of research are suggested in this topic.

Association between of Parental Socialization on Elementary Students' Physical Activity Levels in Murcia Region

Association between of Parental Socialization on Elementary Students' Physical Activity Levels in Murcia Region

Main and interactive effects of discrimination, parent racial/ethnic socialization, and internalizing symptomology on BIPOC teens' ethnic-racial identity.

Research suggests that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) adolescents have the best developmental outcomes when strong, positive ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is acknowledged and embraced. This study investigated whether discrimination, internalizing symptomology, parent socialization, and/or interactions of these variables were associated with adolescent ERI, specifically in exploration, resolution, and affirmation, to illuminate nuanced ways BIPOC youth can achieve positive ERI. Recruited from third-party research panels, surveyed participants were adolescents (Mage = 15.28; 51.6% male) of diverse ethnic/racial groups and socioeconomic backgrounds from all regions of the United States. Overall, results showed that there were four significant main effects on ERI: a negative relation between internalizing symptomology and exploration, a positive relation between parent socialization and exploration, a positive relation between parent socialization and resolution, and a negative relation between internalizing symptomology and affirmation. There were also two significant interactive effects such that (1) discrimination had a stronger negative relation with affirmation under condition of high internalizing, and (2) parent socialization had a stronger positive relation with affirmation under condition of high internalizing. Results show development of ERI in adolescence is subject to multiple, interactive influences. Main and interactive effects highlight the contextual role that mental health implicates for youth of color. Implications for parents and practitioners are discussed.

Stigma and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and additional identities) (LGBTQ+) parent socialization self-efficacy: Mediating roles of identity and community.

In the United States, cultural forces have led to the stigmatization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and additional identities) (LGBTQ+) parenthood. However, pushing back against this stigmatization, developing a positive LGBTQ+ identity, and investing in one's LGBTQ+ community may inform empowering narratives of future parenthood and related constructs, such as LGBTQ+ parent socialization. Perceived self-efficacy related to preparation for bias (i.e., discussions of discrimination, prejudice, or bias-based bullying) socialization is likely associated with an individual's own perceptions or experiences of stigmatization given the conceptual overlap of bias and stigma. However, other constructs related to stigmatization and socialization self-efficacy, such as positive LGBTQ+ identity or community connectedness, have yet to be simultaneously considered (to our knowledge). Further, previous research has rarely included different assessments of stigma (i.e., perceived and enacted) and/or dimensions of positive LGBTQ+ identity (i.e., authenticity and self-awareness). Thus, this study aimed to rectify these gaps and provide a greater understanding of sexual stigma and LGBTQ+ parent socialization self-efficacy. Using data from a survey-based, online, cross-sectional study of LGBTQ+ childfree adults (N = 433; Mage = 29.85 years old) in the United States, we found that experiences of enacted or perceived sexual stigma were differentially associated with LGBTQ+ parent socialization preparation for bias self-efficacy. Further, positive LGBTQ+ identity authenticity and self-awareness, as well as LGBTQ+ community connectedness played distinct roles as mediators of the relationships between sexual stigma and LGBTQ+ parent socialization self-efficacy. These findings have implications for how we might understand the role of stigma, identity, community, and socialization among future LGBTQ+ parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Variability in adolescent reception of parental support: Testing the domain-matching hypothesis.

The present study investigated matches and mismatches between adolescent and parent socialization domains (i.e., protection, guidance) as related to adolescent reception of parental support during a laboratory-based social evaluation challenge. Participants were 80 early adolescents (Mage = 12.36 years, SD = 1.33, 55% males, 55% Black, 42.5% White, and 2.5% other races or ethnicities) and one parent or guardian per adolescent. Observational measures of parent socialization domains assessed sensitivity to adolescents' thoughts and feelings (protection domain) and prosocial behavioral advice (guidance domain). Measures of parallel adolescent socialization domains included self-reported discomfort during a social evaluation challenge (protection domain) and desire to continue the social evaluation challenge (guidance domain). Adolescent reception of parental support was assessed using an observational measure of adolescent attentiveness and responsiveness to the parent during a parent-adolescent discussion about how to approach the social evaluation challenge. Analyses of interactions between measures of parent and adolescent socialization domains revealed: (a) higher levels of adolescent-reported discomfort during the social evaluation challenge interfered with their reception of parental prosocial behavioral advice but did not enhance their reception of parental sensitivity, and (b) higher levels of adolescent-reported desire to continue the social evaluation challenge interfered with their reception of parental sensitivity but did not enhance their reception of parental prosocial behavioral advice. This study advances socialization research by identifying conditions under which adolescents are more and less receptive to supportive communication from parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

THE ROLE OF SOCIALIZATION IN FORMING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN

Sustainable consumption behavior, namely making decisions that ensure the environment will not be damaged by SDG's goal 12. This research explores the relationship between respondent characteristics and sustainable consumption behavior and the influence of teacher socialization, parental socialization, and social media on consumption and sustainability values. This research was conducted cross-sectionally on 218 elementary school students using cluster random sampling. The data was processed using SPSS 25 and Smart-PLS 3. The results showed that sustainable consumption behavior among male students tended to be better and also tended to be better among children who had working mothers. The results of the SEM analysis showed a significant influence of parental socialization on sustainable consumption behavior. In addition, a significant positive indirect effect was found between teacher socialization, parental socialization, and social media exposure on sustainable consumption behavior through consumption values. Therefore, parents need to provide positive socialization to children regarding consumption values to encourage sustainable consumption behavior in children.

The Influence of Racial Socialization, Mentor Support, and Emotion Regulation on the Psychological Well-Being of African American Boys.

Although it is well-documented that school-based racial discrimination can have adverse effects on African American adolescents, the understanding of how socio-emotional factors can act as safeguards is still limited. This study explores whether emotion regulation, mentor support, and parent racial socialization help African American boys cope with school-based racial discrimination. Factors such as emotion regulation are internal assets, while mentor support and parent racial socialization are external resources. Four hundred and eighty-seven African American boys aged 12 to 18 (M = 14.33; SD = 1.62) participated. School-based racial discrimination correlated negatively with psychological well-being. Only emotion regulation and parental racial socialization were related to positive psychological well-being. However, mentor support buffered against the negative impacts of school-based racial discrimination on psychological well-being. These results underscore the significance of assets and resources in bolstering African American boys' resilience against school-based racial discrimination, with implications for interventions and future research.

The Difference in Parental Financial Socialisation Across Parental Education Level

Around the world, parental financial socialization now heavily depends on the educational attainment of the parents. This study looked into how parental financial socialization varied depending on the educational attainment of the parents. Parental financial behavior, financial monitoring, financial discussion, financial communication, and financial teaching were used as metrics for measuring parental financial socialization. In this study, a quantitative research approach was used. Since Fetakgomo Tubatse and Intsika Yethu municipalities are the most rural and low-income locations in South Africa, data were gathered through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis techniques included Tukey HSD test, Welch robust test, Levene's test, descriptive statistics, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The results demonstrated that parental financial socialization varies significantly depending on the educational attainment of the parents. Therefore, financial socialization is more common among parents who have greater education levels than it is among those who have lower education levels. This study's findings are the first to show that parental financial socialization varies significantly depending on the educational attainment of the parents. This study suggests that more research be done on the variations in parental financial socialization across parental educational levels in other areas. Additionally, it is advised that the South African government develop initiatives aimed at addressing and raising parental education levels because research indicates that parents who have completed more education are more likely to participate in financial socialization, which affects young adults' financial literacy and well-being.

Abortion Opinion and Partisan Choice: Untangling the Causal Dynamics

Abstract Starting in the 1980s, U.S. voters began dividing on the abortion issue into pro-life Republicans and pro-choice Democrats. This study shows that the predominant direction of causality was that abortion opinion caused changes in partisanship rather than the reverse, which then had downstream consequences for vote choice. Working with the Youth Parent Socialization Panel Study, I show that those taking pro-choice and pro-life positions in 1982 subsequently changed their party identification to align with those views. By contrast, Democrats and Republicans, as of 1982, did not realign their abortion positions. The partisan conversions were concentrated among ideologically engaged (IE) respondents, especially IE women, who found themselves out of step with their party on abortion. By triggering changes in party identification, panelists’ abortion stances as early as 1982 influenced their vote choices downstream in the 1996 presidential election. Thus, issue-based realignment is viewed here in real time with data from a panel study.

Substance Addiction in Adolescents: Influence of Parenting and Personality Traits.

Substance use in adolescents has been separately related to personality traits and parental socialization styles; in this study, our objective was to study these variables in an integrated way. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in five institutes in a final sample of 331 students, excluding those with gaming disorder. The sample was stratified into three subgroups: 'no addiction', 'low risk', and 'high risk' of Substance Use Disorders (SUD). 12.9% of the adolescents presented a low risk of SUD, while 18.3% showed a high risk, with both being older (F = 9.16; p < 0.001) than the no addiction group. Adolescents with high risk scored lower in control and structure variables and higher in maternal and paternal indifference factors. Non-addicted subjects presented higher scores in conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness and lower scores in neuroticism. The probability of SUD increased with age (OR = 2.187; p = 0.022), sensation seeking (OR = 1.084; p < 0.001), and neuroticism (OR = 1.049; p = 0.042), while conscientiousness was a protective factor (OR = 0.930; p = 0.008). These results reflect that personality traits are directly related to the development of substance abuse in adolescents.

Investigation into the Interrelation Between Parenting Styles and Parental Financial Behavior

Parenting styles are an essential factor in how parents raise their children. More literature is needed about the role of parenting styles on parental financial socialization. How parents manage their finances is essential as children observe and imitate their parents' behavior. This study investigated the relationship between parenting styles and parental financial behavior. Parenting style was measured through authoritarian, neglectful, authoritative, and permissive. This study adopted a quantitative research approach and used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from young adults in two provinces (Gauteng and Mpumalanga) in South Africa. Correlation analysis was used to analyze data. The results showed a significant positive relationship between authoritarian, neglectful, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles and parental financial behavior. Thus, it is concluded that a significant positive relationship exists between parenting styles and parental financial behavior. The study implies that parents should invest more time in understanding and evaluating their parenting styles and adopt authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles as they were found to support and foster financial socialization. Financial educators and the government must design and implement financial programs to inform parents of different parenting styles. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by empirically testing the relationship between parenting styles and parental financial behavior.

Parents’ financial socialization or socioeconomic characteristics: which has more influence on Gen-Z’s financial wellbeing?

This research aims to explore the effectiveness of various approaches for promoting financial wellbeing among Gen-Z, with a particular focus on the parental role in shaping financial attitudes and behavior, using the theoretical lens of family financial socialization theory. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach to obtain in-depth findings on parental financial socialization and parental socioeconomic characteristics for Gen-Zs’ financial wellbeing. The qualitative findings revealed that parents use different strategies to financially socialize children by involving them in savings, financial decisions, and household and personal finances. Furthermore, it is found that parents are more inclined to teach daughters than sons about finances because of the expectations that females handle the household finances. Likewise, quantitative findings revealed that the father’s education level negatively influences Gen-Z’s financial attitude. This study strengthens the concept of family socialization and establishes a ground to explore potential mechanisms of action and implications for future research and practice.

Parental identity and socialization mediate parental racial discrimination's impact on child adjustment

AbstractObjectiveThe study explored the mediating role of Chinese American parents' ethnic–racial identity (ERI) in linking their discrimination experiences, ethnic–racial socialization (ERS), and their children's mental health, testing whether neighborhood racial diversity and perceived Chinese density moderated these mediation paths.BackgroundDuring COVID‐19, Chinese American families faced increased discrimination, impacting their mental well‐being. However, few studies have examined how parents' discrimination experiences influence their ERI, ERS practice, and ultimately their children's mental health difficulties.MethodData from 294 Chinese immigrant parents (Mage = 44.28, 79% female) were collected in two waves, 2020 and 2021. Path analysis tested if parental discrimination affects their ERI and ERS, and children's mental health. Multigroup analysis assessed if mediation models varied for families living in communities with low versus high racial diversity or Chinese density.ResultsParental racism‐related stress at T1 had significant indirect effects on parental ERS practices (higher use of maintenance of heritage culture and lower use of avoidance of outgroups practice) at T2 via parental ERI (greater private regard) at T2. Parental racial discrimination (perceived sinophobia in the media and racism‐related stress) at T1 had significant indirect effects on children's mental health difficulties at T2 via parental ERS practices (use of maintenance of heritage culture and avoidance of outgroups practices) at T2. The neighborhood racial diversity moderated the mediation model.ConclusionThese findings advance the understanding of both individual (i.e., parental ERI) and contextual factors (i.e., neighborhood racial diversity) in the complex associations between parents' discrimination experiences and children's mental health difficulties.

"They Don't Come With a Handbook": Exploring Design Opportunities for Supporting Parent-Child Interaction around Emotions in the Family Context.

Parenting practices have a profound effect on children's well-being and are a core target of several psychological interventions for child mental health. However, there is only limited understanding in HCI so far about how to design socio-technical systems that could support positive shifts in parent-child social practices in situ. This paper focuses on parental socialisation of emotion as an exemplar context in which to explore this question. We present a two-step study, combining theory-driven identification of plausible design directions with co-design workshops with 22 parents of children aged 6-10 years. Our data suggest the potential for technology-enabled systems that aim to facilitate positive changes in parent-child social practices in situ, and highlight a number of plausible design directions to explore in future work.

Financial literacy and risk-taking behavior: a study of graduates and undergraduates

PurposeThis study examines the relationship between financial literacy and risk-taking behavior in the stock market for both graduates and undergraduates.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted two surveys on two groups: graduates and undergraduates. The questionnaires were sent to the two groups via “Google Form”. The surveys were undertaken from March to October 2021, with final data on 500 undergraduates and 400 graduates. The three techniques used are multiple linear regression (MLR), structural equation model (SEM) and ordinal logit regression (OLR) to examine the causal relationships.FindingsBased on survey data on 400 graduate and 500 undergraduate students, our results show that financial literacy is positively associated with risk-taking behavior (i.e. use of debt and willingness to use debt) after controlling for demographics. Graduates with higher levels of financial literacy are more likely to use debt. Undergraduates with higher levels of financial literacy are more willing to use debt. In addition, parental education has a significant moderating effect on the association between financial literacy and debt use among undergraduate students. The results are robust compared to the alternatives.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study finds a positive association between financial literacy and risk-taking behavior among graduates and undergraduates, and these results are robust to the alternatives, the scope of this study is limited and only focuses on Vietnam. Hence, it needs to be expanded overseas. Next, graduates may make investment decisions based on stock prices or valuations, and as a result, the link between financial literacy and stock valuations should be investigated in subsequent research. Last but not least, further studies should also examine the digital financial literacy level of the younger generation, as it plays an important role in the digital age.Practical implicationsFirst, this study finds that higher financial literacy tends to use more debt, implying that financially literate people know how to use debt smartly to earn more profits. Second, students with higher-educated parents are less likely to use debt for stock investment, meaning that parents help students avoid possible risks while in the university. Finally, female graduates and college students all perform lower in financial literacy than their male counterparts. This can create a larger gender gap in financial literacy between women and men, particularly, in a society in which men often play the leading role in the family. As a result, it calls for policymakers, educators and parents to pay more attention to improving financial literacy among girls and women in general.Originality/valueThis study has three contributions. First, this is the first study to examine the impact of financial literacy on risk-taking behavior between two groups of graduates and undergraduates. The results show that individuals with a higher level of financial literacy are more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior (i.e. debt use) in terms of the stock market. Recent research, for example, Phung et al. (2022), examines investors’ informal debt (from families and friends), while this study investigates graduates’ debt use (from brokerage firms). Second, parental education is a significant mediator between college students’ financial literacy and debt use. The literature on parental socialization mainly documents parents’ direct influence on children’s financial knowledge and performance (Shim et al., 2010; Phung, 2023). Unlike previous research, this study finds that parental education plays a moderating role between college students’ financial literacy and their risk-taking behavior. Finally, three methods and multiple models are used to test causal relationships. The results are robust compared to the alternatives.