About this session

Saturday, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Culturally Sensitive Research on the Positive Development of Marginalized Youth in the Majority World

Although child development research has increasingly shifted its focus from risk to resilience, research on marginalized youth remains deficit-oriented, highlighting youth vulnerability or adverse developmental outcomes. This symposium contributes to our understanding of culture-specific resources and interventions that promote marginalized youths’ developmental outcomes. Paper 1 uses latent profile analysis of 359 Taiwanese Indigenous adolescents to examine the unique strength of cultural heritage in youth positive development; the results suggest that youth with different cultural affiliations showed differential sensitivity to ethnic-racial discrimination. Paper 2 uses quasi-experiment among 949 rural Chinese children to assess the efficacy of a culturally tailored social-emotional learning (SEL) program, which improved children’s social-emotional skills, psychological well-being, and school engagement. Paper 3 uses a cluster randomized controlled trial among 414 rural Chinese adolescents to test the effects of a culturally adapted, school-based SEL program aimed at preventing problematic Internet use, which fostered youth’s healthy social interactions. Paper 4 uses a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness intervention on 86 Chinese migrant parent-child dyads living in Hong Kong; the findings suggest the beneficial effects of dyad mindfulness training in migrant families’ adaptation and well-being. Together, the four papers provide important directions for tailoring interventions for marginalized adolescents in low-resource settings through specific cultural processes. Our symposium aligns with SRCD’s Strategic Goal 1 by advancing cutting-edge research in previously understudied populations and cultural contexts. We also advance SRCD’s Goal 3 by integrating ethnic, cultural, economic, and national diversity in developmental science.

Paper #1
Title	Cultural Assets, Ethnic-Racial Discrimination, and Positive Development Among Taiwanese Indigenous Adolescents
Presenting author	PEI-JUNG YANG, Ph.D., National Chengchi University Taiwan, Graduate Institute of Social Work, Taiwan

Paper #2
Title	Evaluating a Culturally Tailored SEL Program for Rural Chinese Children: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study
Presenting author	Linyun Fu, M.S.W., University of Chicago, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, USA

Paper #3
Title	Navigating Technology Use Challenges in Marginalized Chinese Adolescents: Efficacy of an Innovative SEL Program
Presenting author	Hui Hu, The University of Hong Kong, Department of Social Work & Social Administration, Hong Kong

Paper #4
Title	Culturally Adapted Mindfulness Intervention on Migrant Parent and Child Mental Health in Hong Kong
Presenting author	Shuang Lu, Ph.D., University of Central Florida, School of Social Work, United States

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Session chair
Shuang Lu, Ph.D., University of Central Florida, School of Social Work, United States

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