Cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors: Examining mothers' centrality, discrimination experiences, and children's effortful control as moderators

Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2018 Apr;24(2):162-172. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000176. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Abstract

Objectives: The current study examined whether mothers' cultural socialization attitudes predicted cultural socialization behaviors. In addition, we tested whether this association was moderated by children's effortful control, mothers' ethnic-racial centrality, and mothers' experiences of ethnic discrimination.

Method: Mexican-origin young mothers (N = 181; Mage = 20.97 years) completed the Cultural Socialization Attitudes Measure, a revised version of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, the Child Behavior Questionnaire-Very Short Form, and the Perceived Discrimination Scale during an interview and then completed the Cultural Socialization Behaviors Measure a year later.

Results: Findings indicated that mothers' cultural socialization attitudes when their children were 4 years of age positively predicted their cultural socialization behaviors 1 year later. Furthermore, experiencing higher ethnic discrimination strengthened the association between mothers' cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors. In addition, mothers' ethnic-racial centrality and children's effortful control were positively associated with mothers' cultural socialization behaviors.

Conclusions: These findings contribute to the literature by underscoring the role of individual characteristics and context in cultural socialization efforts with young children over time. (PsycINFO Database Record

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude*
  • Child Behavior / psychology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Culture*
  • Ethnicity / psychology
  • Ethnicity / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mexico / ethnology
  • Mothers / psychology*
  • Mothers / statistics & numerical data
  • Racism / psychology*
  • Socialization*
  • Young Adult