About this paper symposium

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Panel information
Panel 7. Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Paper #1
Caregivers Socialization of Children’s Contribution to Household Responsibilities and Children’s Wellness in Rural China
Author information	Role
Xue Jiang, Ph.D., Purdue University, United States	Presenting author
Theresa Thorkildsen, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States	Non-presenting author
Heidi Keller, Osnabrück University, Germany	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Cultural anthropology and psychology recognize that children's early involvement in communal tasks is an adaptive strategy in subsistence-based communities (Gaskins, 2015; Lancy & Grove, 2011, 2014). This participation helps children become active community members and develop skills suited to local conditions (Keller, 2018; Rogoff, 2000). In rural China, when parents migrate for work, children often take on household duties, guided by grandparents or non-migrant parents (Yang et al., 2011). Caregivers use direct instruction, child-led, and interactive approaches to promote children's competence in these tasks (Clegg et al., 2020). However, the impact of these strategies on children's well-being is unclear. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to understand how rural caregivers support children's household responsibilities, whether children accept these roles, and how this socialization links to their academic and socioemotional well-being, particularly in the context of parental migration. A purposive sampling of 25 self-identified families with at least one parent with migrant experience was conducted in a high-migrant-flow village in Guizhou province. Recruited from the local elementary school, participants included grandparents (n=24, 75% F) and non-migrant parents (n=21, 38% F) with different ethnic backgrounds (8 Buyi, 17 Miao, and 20 Han) and education levels (19 no education, 12 elementary, 12 middle and high school, 2 junior college). They participated in interviews on childrearing conceptions and practices. Their practices were confirmed in videos of household activities. Child participants aged between 8 to 13 (n = 82, Mage=10, 67% F) from the same school evaluated the quality of 17 items (alpha = .90) extracted from an iterative thematic analysis of the caregivers' interviews conducted by two trained coders. Translated as a child-focused behavior, one socialization process included, “Caregivers take me to the fields and teach me how to plant seeds, for example, by counting the number of seeds for each hole.” Children evaluated whether each practice benefited their trust in themselves and their caregivers and completed a battery of questionnaires related to academic mastery motivation, creativity, life satisfaction, emotional balance, and self-esteem. Preliminary analysis revealed caregivers’ beliefs in fostering children's household competence, emphasizing virtues such as diligence, skills for future independence, and self-reliance. They suggested achieving these goals by initiating and guiding children through tasks (93%, k=.96), collaborating on tasks (82%, k=.93), and encouraging children to take initiations (80%, k=.96) (Table 1). Caregivers also expressed concerns for children’s safety and age appropriateness of the tasks. Descriptive analysis indicated that children viewed these rearing strategies as high-quality. Correlation analysis further confirmed significant positive associations between the three domains for socialization and children’s mastery motivation, creativity, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and emotional balance (Table 2). Consistent with previous studies, caregivers used direct, interactive, and child-initiated strategies to cultivate children’s household competence. Children also endorsed these strategies, and such endorsement was linked to children’s academic and socioemotional wellness. This mixed-methods study highlights the interplay between cultural dynamics and family wellness. Further insight into why development should be construed as a dynamic system is revealed by noticing incremental evolutions in how families adapt to ecocultural trends.

Paper #2
Parenting Styles and Prosocial Behaviors Profiles and Their Links to Adolescents’ Socioemotional Traits and Behaviors
Author information	Role
Alexia Carrizales, Purdue University, United States	Presenting author
Gustavo Carlo, University of California, Irvine, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
As suggested by the socioecological framework (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), understanding development as a social process, as a result of the interaction between people and their environment, suggests that, parents are one of the most proximal socialization agents in adolescent development (Pastorelli et al., 2016). Prior research suggests that parenting behaviors, and positive family-youth relationships are related to adolescents’ prosocial behavior (Laible et al., 2017; Spinrad & Gal, 2018) and responsivity to others’ needs (Carlo et al., 2011; Spinrad et al., 2019). Nevertheless, most quantitative studies have relied on a traditional, variable-centered approach (in which average scores are aggregated across individuals) to study the overall strength of association of distinct family-youth relationships with adolescents’ socio-emotional development. Using a person-centered approach (focus on identifying subgroups or profiles within a population which acknowledges that individuals may exhibit distinct patterns or characteristics), the current study aimed to (1) explored perceived family-youth relationships and parental prosocial behaviors profiles among French adolescents (2) examine demographic characteristics (adolescents’ gender, age, educational level, parental marital status) related to the family-youth relationship profiles and (3) examine how the family-youth relationship profiles identified are related to adolescents’ prosocial behaviors (i.e., helping and caring) and empathy (i.e., cognitive empathy, emotional connection and emotional disconnection). Participants (N = 1577 French adolescents; M (Age) = 14.50 years; SD = 1.79; 51.8% boys, 54.3% from junior high school) completed a paper-pencil survey in the classroom and reported on their relationships within the family, parents’ prosocial behaviors and self-reported on their empathy and prosocial behaviors. Three types of statistical analyses were performed including, latent profile analysis, multinomial logistic regression and MANOVA. We investigated the fit statistics for solutions with two to eight profiles and we decided the three-profile solution to be the most appropriate. Latent profile analysis revealed three perceived family-youth relationships: ‘Moderate’ (24%) characterized by moderate levels of supportive and structured family relationships and moderate helping and caring behaviors but also moderate levels of rejection, chaos and coercion, ‘supportive’ (68%) characterized by high levels of warmth, structure, and autonomy, with low levels of rejection, chaos, and coercion. And highly prosocial, and ‘negative-supportive’ (8%) characterized by high levels of both positive (warmth, structure, autonomy) and negative (rejection, chaos, coercion) attributes and parents are perceived as highly prosocial. As for the correlates of the profiles of family-youth relations, adolescents’ gender and educational level were related to whether an adolescent fall into the ‘moderate’ or ‘supportive’ profiles compared to the ‘negative-positive’ profile. Adolescents in the ‘supportive’ profile reported higher levels of self-reported helping and caring behaviors as well as higher levels of cognitive empathy and emotional disconnection compared to the other two profiles. In contrast, adolescents in the ‘Moderate’ profile reported lower levels of self-reported empathy and prosocial behaviors. These results suggest the importance of considering person-centered approach in order to capture the unique experiences of adolescents exposed to parents with distinct profiles, which are related to adolescents’ prosocial behaviors and empathy. Understanding differences is crucial for tailoring interventions and supports that enhance adolescent development based on their needs from their caregivers.

Paper #3
Prosocial Behaviors, Civic Values and Engagement in U.S. Black And Asian Young Adults
Author information	Role
Marixza Torres, University of California - Irvine, United States	Presenting author
Gustavo Carlo, University of California - Irvine, United States	Non-presenting author
Lina Carpenter, University of California - Irvine, United States	Non-presenting author
Alysia Cruz, University of California - Irvine, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd's murder in 2020 intensified anti-Black and anti-Asian sentiments, motivating youth from these communities to act against injustice (Wray-Lake et al.,2023). Understanding the factors that promote civic participation among Black and Asian youth can empower these groups to advocate for their rights. Prosocial behaviors, actions intended to benefit others, might predict involvement in social and racial justice initiatives and political activities. Prosocial behaviors can be selfishly or selflessly motivated and are conducted in specific situations, such as crises or emergencies (Carlo & Randall, 2002). Positive social feedback from engaging in prosocial behaviors can induce stronger moral beliefs and facilitate future prosocial activities (Carlo & Randall, 2002). Social action might mediate the links between prosocial behaviors and racial justice and political activities. Despite the conceptual basis for these relations, no studies have examined the mediating role of motivation for social action in the relations between specific forms of prosocial behaviors and civic engagement. The present study was designed to examine these relations in a sample of U.S. Black and Asian young adults. Participants (N = 432, M age = 22.02 years; 52.3% women; Asian 53.7%, Black 46.3%) completed self-report measures of prosocial behaviors, as well as their motivation for social action, involvement in racial justice initiatives, and political participation (see Table 1 for descriptives). Preliminary path analyses (see Figure 1) using Mplus demonstrated good fit: χ²(1) = 0.48, p = 0.49, CFI = 1.0, TLI = 1.0, RMSEA = 0.0, SRMR = .01. Results indicated altruistic behaviors were positively associated with motivation and negatively associated with political participation. Additionally, dire prosocial behaviors were positively linked to motivation for social action. Motivation for social action predicted racial justice initiatives and political participation. Indirect paths showed that motivation for social action mediated the relations between dire prosocial behaviors and racial justice initiatives, as well as between dire prosocial behaviors and political participation. A multigroup analysis (see Figure 2) revealed significant differences in the pathways within the proposed model for Asian and Black youth. Altruistic behaviors were negatively and significantly associated with political participation for Black youth and nonsignificant for Asians. Public prosocial behaviors significantly predicted political participation for Asians but not for Blacks. Both groups showed a significant link between dire prosocial behaviors and social action motivation in varying degrees. Finally, social action motivation predicted critical justice behavior for both groups but more strongly for Asians. Social action motivation predicted political participation for Asians, but it was non-significant for Blacks. The findings suggest prosocial behaviors can cultivate the motivation necessary for active involvement in racial justice and political processes. For U.S. Black and Asian youth, these behaviors influence political participation and justice efforts in distinct ways. Dire, public and altruistic prosocial behaviors uniquely shape civic engagement. Fostering specific forms of prosocial behaviors could be a critical pathway for enhancing civic engagement and encouraging participation in initiatives aimed at social change among U.S. Black and Asian young adults.

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