Adolescents’ Experiences of Discrimination and Parent–Adolescent Relationship Quality

Abstract

Grounded in a cultural–ecological perspective, the goals of this study were to examine the implications of young adolescents’ experiences of racial discrimination for the quality of relationships with mothers and fathers and to test whether sociocultural processes, such as youth ethnic identity and parents’ racial socialization strategies, moderated these linkages. Participants were older and younger adolescents in 176 two-parent African American families who completed questionnaires about their discrimination experiences, ethnic identities, and warmth and conflict in their relationships with parents. Mothers and fathers reported on cultural socialization and preparation for bias practices. Consistent with an emotional spillover hypothesis, discrimination was linked to poorer relationship quality with both mothers and fathers. Youth ethnic identity and mothers’ racial socialization moderated discrimination–relationship linkages. Findings were consistent with prior research on discrimination and highlight the protective nature of some sociocultural processes for family relationships.

Pathways to Pain

“…The finding that Black youth’s internalizing problems (e.g., depression and anxiety) were associated with familial-level discrimination is consistent with prior literature (Ford, Hurd, Jagers, & Sellers, 2013; Gibbons, Gerrard, Cleveland, Wills, & Brody, 2004; Riina & McHale, 2012). Importantly, we assessed child outcomes at age 7, which leaves open the possibility that the indirect effects of parents’ experiences with discrimination may contribute cumulatively to toxic levels of stress in the child’s environment as they get older (Evans & Kim, 2013).…”

Self‐concept of left‐behind children in China: a systematic review of the literature

“…2012). If social withdrawal cannot be solved properly in the period when children live without their parents, the long‐term effects of parental separation may impair the level of self‐concept, and may result in children's mental disorder and misbehaviour when they grow up (Riina & McHale ; Seidl‐de‐Moura et al . ).…”

“…As a core dimension of socialization, popularity plays an important role in children's self-development, which influences the social interactions of left-behind children by impairing self-expression and understanding of others (Donahue et al 1993;Jiang 2011;Zhao et al 2012). If social withdrawal cannot be solved properly in the period when children live without their parents, the long-term effects of parental separation may impair the level of self-concept, and may result in children's mental disorder and misbehaviour when they grow up (Riina & McHale 2012;Seidl-de-Moura et al 2012). Left-behind girls may have a lower self-concept in the domains of physical appearance and attributes, anxiety, happiness and satisfaction 352 X.…”

“…In summary, we need to give special attention to the selfconcept of children left behind especially among younger students. In the development of interventions researchers should consider the potential role of self-concept in the development of mental health problems in left-behind children (Miller et al 2011;Riina & McHale 2012). Wherever possible at least one biological parent should live with their children and for those migrant workers for whom this is not possible they should be encouraged to return home or communicate with their children by phone as frequently as possible.…”

What Parents Say and in Which Way They Convey Messages about Ethnicity to Children?

“…Iako je povezanost s pozitivnim razvojnim ishodima manje dosljedna u usporedbi s kulturno specifičnom socijalizacijom (npr. Hughes, Witherspoon, Rivas-Drake i West-Bey, 2009), pokazalo se da može pomoći u zaštiti od negativnih posljedica diskriminacije (Riina i McHale, 2012). Pozitivno je povezano i s proaktivnim strategijama nošenja s diskriminacijom, kao što su traženje potpore i primjena direktnih strategija rješavanja problema, dok je negativno povezano s neučinkovitim strategijama, kao što su verbalni sukobi (Phinney i Chavira, 1995;Scott, 2004).…”