Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes
Parental reactions to children’s negative emotions (PRCNEs), a type of emotion socialization, has been theorized to shape children’s socioemotional development. Few studies have examined cultural variations in PRCNE among Western/Minority World cultures. The present study used a cross-cultural, pres...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Kathryn Li Claire Hofer Aya I. Williams Qing Zhou |
| author_facet | Kathryn Li Claire Hofer Aya I. Williams Qing Zhou |
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| description | Parental reactions to children’s negative emotions (PRCNEs), a type of emotion socialization, has been theorized to shape children’s socioemotional development. Few studies have examined cultural variations in PRCNE among Western/Minority World cultures. The present study used a cross-cultural, preschool-based sample of 101 parent–child dyads (child age = 36–79 months, 42% females; parent age = 19–58 years, 89% mothers) from two countries: U.S. (<i>n</i> = 33, 58% White/European American, 87% with college or above education) and France (<i>n</i> = 68, 61% French or other European origin, 40% with college or above education). Parents self-reported PRCNEs across 12 hypothetical scenarios. Children’s behavioral problems and prosocial behaviors were rated by parents and preschool teachers. Children’s emotion knowledge was measured by a behavioral task. We examined (1) cultural group variations in PRCNEs, and (2) the relations between PRCNE and children’s socioemotional outcomes. Controlling for demographics, French parents endorsed more non-supportive PRCNE than U.S. parents. Across both cultures, parents’ higher use of distress and punitive reactions were linked to lower parent-rated child prosocial behaviors. These findings revealed differences and similarities in PRCNEs between French and U.S. families and have implications for early childhood education practices promoting socioemotional competence. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-0abca5950c284ce2a13b209e2a9636b62025-01-24T13:49:38ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602024-12-01141510.3390/socsci14010005Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional OutcomesKathryn Li0Claire Hofer1Aya I. Williams2Qing Zhou3Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAPsychologie: Interactions Temps Émotions Cognition (PSITEC, ULR 4072), Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, FranceDepartment of Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USADepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAParental reactions to children’s negative emotions (PRCNEs), a type of emotion socialization, has been theorized to shape children’s socioemotional development. Few studies have examined cultural variations in PRCNE among Western/Minority World cultures. The present study used a cross-cultural, preschool-based sample of 101 parent–child dyads (child age = 36–79 months, 42% females; parent age = 19–58 years, 89% mothers) from two countries: U.S. (<i>n</i> = 33, 58% White/European American, 87% with college or above education) and France (<i>n</i> = 68, 61% French or other European origin, 40% with college or above education). Parents self-reported PRCNEs across 12 hypothetical scenarios. Children’s behavioral problems and prosocial behaviors were rated by parents and preschool teachers. Children’s emotion knowledge was measured by a behavioral task. We examined (1) cultural group variations in PRCNEs, and (2) the relations between PRCNE and children’s socioemotional outcomes. Controlling for demographics, French parents endorsed more non-supportive PRCNE than U.S. parents. Across both cultures, parents’ higher use of distress and punitive reactions were linked to lower parent-rated child prosocial behaviors. These findings revealed differences and similarities in PRCNEs between French and U.S. families and have implications for early childhood education practices promoting socioemotional competence.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/5cultureparental reactions to children’s negative emotionssocioemotional behaviorsFranceUnited States |
| spellingShingle | Kathryn Li Claire Hofer Aya I. Williams Qing Zhou Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes Social Sciences culture parental reactions to children’s negative emotions socioemotional behaviors France United States |
| title | Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes |
| title_full | Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes |
| title_fullStr | Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes |
| title_short | Parental Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions in France and the United States: Links to Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Outcomes |
| title_sort | parental reactions to children s negative emotions in france and the united states links to preschoolers socioemotional outcomes |
| topic | culture parental reactions to children’s negative emotions socioemotional behaviors France United States |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/5 |
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