Unfolding Emotion Socialization in Chinese-Heritage Families

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Emotion socialization (ES) involves the process through which children learn how to respond to and cope with their own and others’ emotions, thus promoting children’s adaptive outcomes. ES has been recognized as embedded within cultures, as both the various modes of parental ES and their impact on children’s adaptive outcomes may vary across cultures. Current literature on ES has largely focused on families from the US and other Western countries that share an emphasis on individualism. The current symposium bridges the gap in the literature regarding how parental ES is conducted and relates to child functioning in Eastern cultures that emphasize collectivism. Four presentations will highlight ES in various Chinese-heritage cultures, including mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and Chinese American immigrants in the US. Presentations address ES in relation to child outcomes in early to middle childhood. The first study examined maternal ES responses and executive function of 4- to 5-year-old children in mainland Chinese and European American families. Our second presentation studied associations of parent-child emotion talk with preschoolers’ socio-emotional competence in Taiwanese and Chinese American immigrant families. Working with Chinese immigrant families in the US, the third presentation examined how mothers’ Asian cultural values moderated bidirectional relations between maternal ES and children’s emotional distress. Our final presentation used a person-centered approach to explore patterns of Chinese parents’ beliefs about emotions and ES responses in relation to parents’ self-construals and children’s behavioral outcomes. The current symposium enriches our understanding of ES in Chinese-heritage families and has prevention and intervention implications.

Sub Unit

• Social, Emotional, Personality

Chairs

• Danhua Zhu, University of California - Irvine

• Julie C Dunsmore, University of Houston

Individual Presentations

• Culture, Emotion Socialization, and Children’s Executive Function - Presenting Author: Stacey N Doan, Claremont Mckenna College; Non-Presenting Author: Qingfang Song, Western Kentucky University

• Parent-Child Emotion Talk and Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Adjustment: A Study of Chinese American and Taiwanese Families - Presenting Author: Megan Chan, University of California - Berkeley; Non-Presenting Author: Aya Williams, University of California - Berkeley; Non-Presenting Author: Yin-Ping Teresa Teng, Shih Chien University; Non-Presenting Author: Qing Zhou, University of California - Berkeley

• Cultural Values Moderate Bidirectional Associations Between Chinese-Immigrant Mothers’ Emotion Socialization and Children’s Emotions - Non-Presenting Author: Kathy T. T. Vu, N/A; Non-Presenting Author: Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland - Baltimore County; Presenting Author: Suqing Wang, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Non-Presenting Author: Amy Halberstadt, North Carolina State University

• Chinese Parents’ Emotion-Related Beliefs and Socialization Responses: A Person-Centered Approach - Presenting Author: Danhua Zhu, University of California - Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Julie C Dunsmore, University of Houston