Parents' ethnic-racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study.

Abstract

Recently, there has been an emergence of literature on the mechanisms through which parents transmit information, values, and perspectives about ethnicity and race to their children, commonly referred to as racial or ethnic socialization. This literature has sought to document the nature of such socialization, its antecedents in parents' and children's characteristics and experiences, and its consequences for children's well-being and development. In this article, the authors integrate and synthesize what is known about racial and ethnic socialization on the basis of current empirical research, examining studies concerning its nature and frequency; its child, parent, and ecological predictors; and its consequences for children's development, including ethnic identity, self-esteem, coping with discrimination, academic achievement, and psychosocial well-being. The authors also discuss conceptual and methodological limitations of the literature and suggest directions for future research.

A longitudinal examination of parenting behaviors and perceived discrimination predicting Latino adolescents' ethnic identity.

“…Findings have demonstrated a robust and positive association between parents' ethnic socialization practices and youth's ethnic identity among Latinos (e.g., Umaña-Taylor, Alfaro, Bámaca, & Guimond, 2009;Umaña-Taylor & Fine, 2004), as well as among samples of multiple ethnic minority groups that include Latinos (Umaña-Taylor, Bhanot, & Shin, 2006; see Hughes et al, 2006, for a review). Though few studies have examined how global parenting behaviors and the quality of the parent-child relationship (e.g., monitoring, warmth, support) are associated with Latino adolescents' ethnic identity formation (see Supple et al, 2006, for an exception), a number of studies have examined how characteristics of the parent-child relationship are associated with global identity formation.…”

The Effect of Racial Socialization on Urban African American Use of Child Mental Health Services

“…Racial socialization variables qualify in both respects. First, as explained above, racial socialization is a manifestation among African Americans that has developed at least in part, to help this population face and surmount racism in the United States (Hughes et al, 2006). Second, as hypothesized in the current study, there is reason to believe that racial socialization may play a significant role in the use of mental health services for African Americans.…”

“…Prior research suggests that racial socialization parenting practices act as coping strategies which help African American parents operate effectively within larger social structures with varying levels of racial hostility (for review see Hughes et al, 2006). Thus, racial socialization beliefs may impact and potentially facilitate help-seeking for African Americans within mainstream systems of care, including the mental health system, because these beliefs help them surmount fear and/or experiences of racism during the child mental health help-seeking process.…”

“…The single publication in the literature that reviews the work done concerning racial socialization (Hughes et al, 2006), clearly identifies that "the literature on racial socialization is still under-developed, and is marked by gaps and uncertainties." Furthermore, the article mentions that theoretical perspectives of how racial socialization operates in the lives of African Americans have also not been discussed.…”

“…Through cultural pride reinforcement, African American parents draw children's attention to many of the cultural strengths that have historically supported African Americans in American society (Hughes, Rodriguez, Smith, Johnson, Stevenson, & Spicer, 2006;Stevenson, 1994). Through this process, the following themes are emphasized to African American children: (1) African American heritage and culture are helpful to their growth and survival in American society; (2) the importance of education in attaining societal and professional advancement for African Americans; (3) preparedness for subtle and blatant experiences and messages of racism that occur in educational and social environments; and (4) the need to advocate for themselves as a means of being successful in American society (Stevenson, 1994).…”