Inequalities in Objective, Subjective, and Future Social Status: Implications for Immigrant Children’s Socioemotional Development

• In Event: Children’s Beliefs about Social-Class and Mobility: Implications for Socioemotional Development, Stereotype Formation, and Academic Motivation

Abstract

Introduction: Theories of intersectionality emphasize how inequalities of power, resources, and opportunities can contribute to divergent experiences within members of the same sociocultural group (Cole, 2009). The effects of these divergent experiences of social status may be particularly salient for elementary-aged children of immigrant parents. Middle childhood is a developmental period during which children become increasingly aware of social identities and group membership (Akiba, Szalacha, & García Coll, 2004), and for children in immigrant families, a growing attunement to social hierarchies and mobility in the host country may be reflected in domains of socioemotional development (Chen et al., 2019).

Chinese American immigrants are one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most socioeconomically diverse foreign-born populations in the United States (Pew Research Report, 2013). Using data from a socioeconomically-diverse sample of Chinese immigrant families (N = 169; children between 7-11 years old), this presentation will indicate how variations in aspects of social status (family socioeconomic status and children’s subjective social status) are uniquely associated with domains of children’s socioemotional development (self-regulation, social competence, and emotional adjustment). To illustrate how children of Chinese immigrant parents perceive social mobility, the presentation also examines children’s predictions of their future social status and identifies themes in their explanations for social mobility.

Method: Children and one of their parents participated in a 2-2.5 hour laboratory-based assessment that included questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and behavioral tasks. Parents reported their years of formal education and their family’s estimated household income. Children indicated their family’s current subjective social status (SSS) and their anticipated SSS in five years using a measure modified from Adler et al. (1994), then provided explanations for their ratings. Children’s explanations were coded following procedures by Mistry et al. (2015) and coded into categories identified by Flanagan et al. (2014). Children completed a computerized task of executive function adapted from Baym et al. (2008) and parents completed a measure of children’s effortful control (Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001). Children reported on their experiences of social loneliness (Chen, Li, Li, Li, & Liu, 2000) and parents reported on children’s internalizing problems (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and social competence (Harter et al., 1994).

Results: A structural equation model tested the unique associations between family SES, children’s SSS, and three domains of socioemotional functioning (Figure 1). Family SES was positively associated with children’s self-regulation and social competence while children’s SSS was negatively associated with their internalizing problems. Children’s explanations of future social status most frequently referenced individual factors (35.1% of responses), with a number of children specifically referencing their own individual contributions to family social status through education or financial means (Table 1).

Discussion: Results from the present study indicate that variations in family SES and children’s perceived SSS may have unique effects on the socioemotional development of elementary-aged children in immigrant families. Children’s explanations of factors impacting their families’ future social status also point to middle childhood as a period of active development in their understanding of social mobility.

Author

• Stephen H Chen, Wellesley College
  Presenting Author