Unpacking ‘culture’: Caregiver socialization of emotion and child functioning in diverse families

Emotion regulation strategies and depression in mother-adolescent dyads: An actor-partner interdependence model approach

Parent-adolescent emotion dynamics have attracted increasing attention in recent years because adolescence is a challenging period for both adolescents and parents. However, how emotions are coconstructed between parents and adolescents is less clear. This study examined whether mothers' and adolescents' emotion regulation strategy was linked with their own and each other's depression using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). The participants were 173 mother-adolescent pairs (Mother: Mage = 43.05 years old, SD = 3.78; Adolescent: Mage = 13.00 years old, SD = 0.90). The results showed that the more mothers used cognitive reappraisal, the lower their depression levels were; and the more mothers and adolescents used expressive suppression, the higher their levels of depression were. Additionally, maternal expressive suppression was associated with adolescent depressive symptoms. Moreover, the results revealed that for mothers with higher levels of expressive suppression, their adolescents' usage of expressive suppression was significantly positively related to adolescents' depression, while for those mothers with lower levels of expressive suppression, there was no significant correlation between adolescents' usage of expressive suppression and depression. The findings underscore the significance of recognising the interdependence and interconnected nature of emotions within parent-adolescent relationships for a comprehensive understanding of their emotional well-being.

The Association between Discrepancies in Parental Emotional Expressivity, Adolescent Loneliness and Depression: A Multi-Informant Study Using Response Surface Analysis

Incongruent perceptions of parental emotional expressivity between parents and adolescents may signify relational challenges, potentially impacting adolescents' socioemotional adjustment. Direct evidence is still lacking and father-adolescent discrepancies are overlooked. This study employed a multi-informant design to investigate whether both mother-adolescent and father-adolescent discrepancies in perceptions of parental expressivity are related to adolescents' mental well-being, specifically focusing on loneliness and depression. Analyzing data from 681 families (mean age of adolescents = 15.5 years old, 51.2% girls, 40% only-children) in China revealed that adolescents tended to perceive paternal and maternal emotional expressivity more negatively than their parents, particularly fathers. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis showed significant links between parent-adolescent congruence and incongruence and adolescent loneliness. (In)Congruence between adolescents and mothers or fathers predicted later adolescent depression, mediated by adolescent loneliness and varied by the dimension of emotional expressivity. These findings provide insights into the roles of mothers' and fathers' emotional expressivity in shaping children's mental well-being during adolescence.

The Role of Parental Verbal Threat Information in Children's Fear Acquisition: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Children can acquire fears of novel stimuli as a result of listening to parental verbal threat information about these stimuli (i.e., instructional learning). While empirical studies have shown that learning via parental information occurs, the effect size of parental verbal threat information on child fear of a novel stimulus has not yet been measured in a meta-analysis. We conducted a systematic review and meta analysis to assess the effect of parents' verbal statements on their children's fear acquisition. Additionally, we explored potential moderators of this effect, namely, parent and child anxiety levels, as well as child age. WebOfScience, Pubmed, Medline, and PsycINFO were used to identify eligible studies that assessed children's (30 months to 18 years old) fear of novel stimuli after being exposed to parental verbal threat information. We selected 17 studies for the meta-analysis and 18 for the systematic review. The meta-analysis revealed a significant causal effect of parental verbal threat information on children's fear reaction towards novel stimuli [g = 1.26]. No evidence was found for a moderation of verbal learning effects, neither by child or parent anxiety levels nor by child age. The effect of parents' verbal threat information on children's fear of novel stimuli is large and not dependent on anxiety levels or child age.

The effectiveness of maternal regulatory attempts in the development of infant emotion regulation

Caregivers are instrumental in the development of infant emotion regulation; however, few studies have focused on delineating the real-time effectiveness of strategies that caregivers use to reduce infant distress. It is also unclear whether certain caregiver traits facilitate engagement in more successful regulation strategies. This study addressed these gaps by: (1) examining the differential effectiveness of maternal regulatory attempts (MRAs; behavioral strategies initiated by mothers to assist infants with regulating emotional states) in reducing 12- to 24-month-old infants' frustration during a toy removal task; and (2) assessing whether maternal mind-mindedness (mothers' attunement to their infant's mental state) predicted mothers' selection of MRAs. Multilevel modeling revealed that distraction and control were the most effective MRAs in reducing infant negative affect across 5-s intervals (N = 82 dyads; M infant age = 18 months; 45 females). Greater use of non-attuned mind-related speech predicted less engagement in effective MRAs, supporting a link between caregivers' socio-cognitive skills and provision of in-the-moment regulation support. These findings highlight the value of considering caregiver regulatory behaviors as a target for elucidating how maternal socialization of emotion regulation occurs in real-time. They also underscore mothers' important role as socializing agents in the development of this foundational developmental ability.

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Effortful Control, and Child Social Anxiety Symptoms

Emotion dysregulation is implicated in child social anxiety and its etiology. Child emotion dysregulation has been studied via physiological indicators (e.g., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) and behavioral indicators (e.g., effortful control). Previous work suggests that physiological indicators of regulation may predict outcomes in a non-linear manner and must be considered within the context of other intrapersonal factors, perhaps including effortful control. To this end, the current study tested effortful control as a moderator of the relation between RSA and child social anxiety, considering both linear and curvilinear patterns and controlling for inhibited temperament, an established predictor of child anxiety. Children (n = 119; 44% female) participated when they were 4 years old and entering school age (5 to 7 years). Mothers reported on children's effortful control (age 4) and social anxiety (school age). Children's RSA (age 4) was calculated from electrocardiogram data when they were at rest (i.e., baseline RSA) and when they were giving a speech. Results indicated that when children were high in effortful control, lower baseline RSA predicted higher social anxiety symptoms. Tentative evidence emerged for a relation between greater suppression of RSA during the speech compared to baseline and higher social anxiety symptoms when children were low in effortful control. Results support assessing the temperamental domain of effortful control as a contextualizing factor in the relation between psychophysiology and child anxiety outcomes.

The lived experience of mothers caring for school-age children with Pompe disease: A qualitative study

PURPOSE

To explore the lived experiences of mothers caring for school-age children with Pompe disease.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenology approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from October to December 2022 with 10 mothers of school-age children diagnosed with Pompe disease, which were identified through the Taiwan Pompe Disease Association. Colaizzi's phenomenological method was employed for data analysis.

RESULTS

The study identified five themes in the caregiving experiences of mothers: 1. unwavering parenting beliefs; 2. child-centric approach; 3. focus on peer relationships and coping strategies; 4. integration of learning, treatment, and rehabilitation; and 5. embracing and navigating life's challenges. Mothers balanced education, treatment, and rehabilitation for their children with Pompe disease, offering perspectives into the caregiving experience.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the complex experiences of mothers caring for children with Pompe disease, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive support.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Insights into the perspectives of mothers can aid health-care professionals in understanding the challenges faced by families with children diagnosed with Pompe disease and can enable the development of strategies for providing comprehensive psychological support to improve mental health outcomes for these children and their families. Increased awareness among health-care professionals and in the society leads to an informed and empathetic approach to addressing the unique challenges faced by children with Pompe disease and their families.

Family-level profiles of parental reactions to emotions: Longitudinal associations with multi-informant reports of adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Longitudinal study of associations between family-level emotion socialization and adolescent adjustment is limited. When American children (53.5% girls) were in second grade (N = 213; Mage = 7.98; data collected 2002-2003), mothers and fathers (79.8% of mothers and 74.2% of fathers were White) reported on their reactions to children's emotions; in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade (Mage = 13.03, 14.17, 15.29, respectively; data collected 2007-2010), adolescents, mothers, and fathers reported on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Four family-level profiles of reactions were identified. Profile differences emerged, suggesting that the emotion dismissing profile was longitudinally associated with elevated adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms and that fathering may especially foster child adjustment for families in a divergence profile.

Connections between Parental Emotion Socialization and Internalizing Problems in Adolescents: Examining the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies and Moderating Effect of Gender

To explore the mediating effect of emotion regulation strategies on the correlation between parental emotion socialization and internalizing problems in adolescents, as well as the moderating effect of gender, a questionnaire survey was administered to 1078 junior high school students (Mage = 13.96 ± 1.00). The results revealed that supportive parental emotion socialization was negatively correlated with adolescents internalizing problems, whereas non-supportive parental emotion socialization was positively correlated with such problems. Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression strategies functioned as parallel mediators in the relationship between supportive parental emotion socialization and adolescent internalizing problems, while only expressive suppression mediated the correlation between non-supportive emotion socialization and adolescent internalizing problems. Gender did not exhibit a moderating effect on the mediation model. These findings suggest that supportive parental responses to adolescents' negative emotions can reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety by cultivating increased utilization of cognitive reappraisal strategies and decreased reliance on expressive suppression strategies among adolescents, whereas non-supportive responses exacerbate the occurrence of depression and anxiety by promoting greater utilization of expressive suppression strategies. In addition, no significant gender differences were observed in the mediation effects. These findings emphasize the importance of prevention programs focusing on parental emotion socialization in adolescence.

Up you get: Norwegian parents' reactions to children's negative emotions

INTRODUCTION

Developmental research suggests that children learn to regulate their emotions and behavior through a process of emotion socialization. The main body of literature is based on samples from the United States, and very little is known about the socialization of emotions in Nordic settings.

OBJECTIVES

The current study aimed to explore associations between mothers' and fathers' reactions to children's negative emotions and externalizing behavior problems in a Nordic cultural context, and to explore gender differences in these associations.

METHODS

Parent-report data on the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI) was collected in a large sample of Norwegian preschool-aged children (mothers, n = 242; fathers, n = 183; N = 257; M = 54 months, SD = 4.54; 49% boys). Teacher-report data was collected using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) conduct scale (n = 117).

RESULTS

Both parents' supportive and non-supportive reactions were associated with child externalizing difficulties in expected directions as evidenced by path models, controlling for socioeconomic status and age. A pattern emerged in which non-supportive reactions to a greater extent predicted an increase in externalizing problems in girls, and supportive reactions predicted lower levels of externalizing problems in boys.

CONCLUSION

Our findings supported the basic assumptions of emotion socialization theory in a Nordic cultural context in which parental supportive and non-supportive responses are related to child externalizing difficulties. Nordic parents are important socialization agents for their children, but their behaviors had a differential effect on boys' and girls' externalizing behavior problems.

Mothers' Responses to Children's Emotions and Children's Behavior: The Mediating Role of Children's Emotion Regulation

While prior research has clearly established links between maternal responses and children's emotion regulation (ER), the implications of these links for children's behaviors, especially at school (as reported by their teachers), remain much less explored. This study examined the mediating role of children's ER in the relationship between maternal reactions to both negative and positive emotions of children and the subsequent behaviors of these children at school. Participants included 56 Portuguese school-aged children (31 boys and 25 girls, aged 6-10 years, mean age = 8.27, SD = 1.27), their mothers (aged 26-55 years, mean age = 38.33, SD = 6.68), and their teachers (n = 7 female teachers) in a multi-informant study. Mothers provided reports on their responses to their children's emotions and their perceptions of the children's ER and lability/negativity, while teachers assessed the children's behavior in the classroom. The results indicated that punitive maternal reactions were associated with greater child lability/negativity, which in turn correlated with increased conduct problems and hyperactivity at school. Conversely, maternal encouragement of expression was linked to reduced lability/negativity, which was associated with fewer emotional symptoms at school. Additionally, maternal problem-focused reactions and guided/empowering responses were associated with reduced child lability/negativity, which in turn correlated with fewer conduct problems and less hyperactivity at school. These findings suggest that maternal responses to children's emotions can significantly influence children's behaviors in the classroom via mechanisms involving children's ER.

"Our Generation Is Trying to Break Some of That Resistance to Emotions"-A Mixed-Methods Pilot Examination of Tuning in to Kids for Black Parents of Preschoolers in the United States

BACKGROUND

A growing body of literature examines the utility of emotion-focused parenting programs, as behaviorally based programs currently dominate the parenting literature. Few of those studies examine differences in how Black parents may benefit. This mixed-methods pilot study examined preliminary fidelity, efficacy, and acceptability of Tuning in to Kids (TIK), an emotion-focused parenting program targeting parenting practices and children's emotion regulation through a strengths-based approach.

METHODS

Pre, post, and one-month follow-up measurements were collected from 21 parents in the United States who were randomly assigned to a treatment (i.e., TIK) or waitlist control group. They were assessed across several self-report parent measures (parental emotion regulation, emotion socialization parenting practices and beliefs) and parent-report of children's social-emotional competence. Parents in the TIK group completed interviews to further understand their experience participating in the intervention.

RESULTS

Descriptive analyses showed general improvements and positive change in parenting practices, beliefs, parental emotion regulation, and children's self-regulation. Large effect sizes indicate reductions of parents emotion dismissing and distressed reactions to children's negative emotions. TIK was overall rated as a highly acceptable intervention. Parent interviews offer essential information to provide context to Black parents' experiences utilizing TIK as well as themes related to challenges in raising Black children with self-regulation difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, these preliminary mixed-methods outcomes suggest that TIK is a promising parenting program to improve Black parents' emotion regulation, emotion coaching beliefs and positive parenting practices. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of TIK and other emotion-focused parenting programs with Black parents and assess the necessity of future cultural adaptations.

Scrutinizing parental minimization reactions to adolescents' negative emotions through the lens of Chinese culture

This research examined in China two types of parental minimization reactions to adolescents' negative emotions: Devaluing/invalidating that degrades the significance of adolescents' emotions (thereby invalidating adolescents' feelings) versus discounting/mitigating that downplays the seriousness of the situations (thereby mitigating adolescents' emotional arousals). Study 1 had 777 adolescents (389 females; mean age = 12.79 years) complete a survey; Study 2 had 233 adolescents (111 females; mean age = 12.19 years) complete a survey twice spanning around 6 months. Study 1 showed adolescents' perceived maternal devaluing/invalidating and discounting/mitigating reactions as two distinct factors, with different patterns of associations with other supportive versus nonsupportive parenting practices. Study 2 showed that over time, adolescents' perceived maternal devaluing/invalidating reactions predicted their dampened socioemotional functioning; discounting/mitigating reactions predicted their enhanced functioning.

Chinese Mothers' Reactions to Adolescents' Positive Emotions: Relations to Adolescents' Emotional Adjustment and Mothers' Socialization Goals

When adolescents have positive emotions, parents' reactions that enhance or dampen the intensity or duration of adolescents' emotions have been documented to play a critical role in adolescents' emotional adjustment in Western societies. These parental reactions are theorized to be culturally embedded parenting practices in the emotion socialization process. However, research is limited in examining the implications of parents' enhancing and dampening reactions for adolescents' emotional adjustment in non-Western societies. Moreover, it remains to be explored how these parental reactions might be guided by parents' culturally shaped socialization goals for adolescents, and further influence adolescents' adjustment. To address these key issues, a two-wave longitudinal study spanning approximately 1.5 years was conducted among adolescents in China (N = 233; Mage = 12.19 years, SD = 0.60; 48% girls). Based on adolescents' reports, it was found that Chinese mothers' enhancing reactions to adolescents' positive emotions, which were related to their greater endorsement of self-development socialization goals (i.e., wanting adolescents to develop confidence, autonomy, and uniqueness), predicted adolescents' increased emotional well-being (i.e., self-esteem, vitality, and experience of positive emotions) and decreased emotional ill-being (i.e., depression, anxiety and experience of negative emotions) over time. Contrastingly, mothers' dampening reactions to adolescents' positive emotions, which were related to their less endorsement of self-development and greater endorsement of filial piety socialization goals (i.e., wanting adolescents to respect and obey parents), predicted adolescents' decreased emotional well-being over time. The findings broaden the cultural understanding of parents' emotion-related socialization practices, and provide insights into practical endeavors at optimizing parents' reactions to adolescents' positive emotions in culturally sensitive ways and ultimately promoting adolescents' mental health.

Etch the Emotional Life: Mother-Child Emotion Socialization from Age 3 to 6 Years

Emotion socialization is conceptualized as a relational process, yet children's role in socializing parents' emotions is rarely considered. This study explored longitudinal patterns of mother-child emotion socialization from early to middle childhood. Participants were 349 children (51% boys, 49% girls) and their mothers from the southeastern United States. Children were 79.4% White, 12% Black or African American, and 8.3% multi-racial or other; 6.3% were Hispanic/Latino. Mother-child dyads completed an etch-a-sketch task when children were 3, 4, and 6 years old. At each time, mothers' and children's expression, coaching, and dismissing of positive and negative emotions were observed. Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses identified developmental trajectories and within-dyad associations of emotion coaching and dismissing with emotion expression. Over time, expression of positive emotions decreased and expression of negative emotions showed no change for both mothers and children. Mothers decreased in coaching children's positive emotions and showed no change in coaching children's negative emotions. Children increased in coaching mothers' positive emotions and showed no change in coaching mothers' negative emotions over time. Both mothers and children decreased in dismissing emotions over time. Within dyads, mothers' increases in coaching and in dismissing related to children's increased expression. Children's increases in coaching related to mothers' increased expression. Findings highlight complexity and dynamics of emotion socialization processes over time.

Longitudinal associations between socioeconomic status and psychosocial problems in preschool children

Socioeconomic status (SES) at different points in a child's lifetime may have different effects on health outcomes. This study aimed to examine longitudinal associations between SES and psychosocial problems in preschool children (n = 2509, Mage = 24.2 ± 1.3 months). The psychosocial problems of children were assessed using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment at age 2 years and age 3 years and categorized as having yes/no psychosocial problems. Four groups of pattern of presence/absence of psychosocial problems between age 2 and 3 years were classified: (1) 'no problems', (2) 'problems at age two', (3) 'problems at age three', and (4) 'continuing problems'. Five indicators of SES (i.e., maternal education level, single-parent family, unemployment, financial problems, and neighborhood SES) were evaluated. Results showed around one-fifth (2Y = 20.0%, 3Y = 16.0%) of children had psychosocial problems. Multinomial logistic regression models revealed low and middle maternal education levels were associated with 'problems at age two'; low maternal education level and financial problems were associated with 'problems at age three'; low and middle maternal education level, single-parent family, and unemployment were associated with 'continuing problems'. No associations were observed between neighborhood SES and any pattern. Results suggest children in a lower SES, indicated by maternal education, single-parent family, and financial stress, had higher odds of developing and continuously having psychosocial problems in early childhood. These findings call for optimally timing interventions to reduce the impact of disadvantaged SES in early childhood on psychosocial health.

Parental Symptoms of Anhedonia, Parenting, and Youth Outcomes: A Multi-Method, Multi-Informant Investigation

Parental depression is a well-established risk factor for youth psychopathology; however, depression is highly heterogeneous, and different parental symptom profiles may be differentially associated with risk mechanisms and youth psychopathology outcomes. Thus, this study examined associations between parental anhedonic symptoms of depression, specifically, and (1) parenting and (2) youth outcomes using a multi-method, multi-informant approach. Participants included 595 parents (89% mothers) and youth (ages 8-16; M[SD] = 12.07[2.39]). Regression analyses indicated that parental self-reported anhedonic symptoms at baseline demonstrated relatively specific prospective associations with chronic parent-child stress assessed using contextual stress interview methods, as well as youth self-reported depressive symptoms at 18-month follow-up. Findings also indicated concurrent associations between parental anhedonic symptoms and observed parental criticism, conflict, and responsiveness in the context of a 5-min discussion task, as well as parent self-reported monitoring/supervision, although results were no longer significant after controlling for parental co-occurring non-anhedonic depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that parental anhedonic symptoms may contribute to relatively unique reductions in the quality of the parent-child relationship and may be a particularly salient risk factor for youth depression.

Being sensitive in their own way: parental ethnotheories of caregiver sensitivity and child emotion regulation across five countries

Caregiver sensitivity builds a basis for children's sense of security and effective emotion regulation during their development. Applying a cross-cultural lens, caregiver sensitivity can be divided into two subtypes, reactive and proactive, and its prevalence and meaning may differ across cultures. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of developmental niche and parental ethnotheories, the current study examines culture-specific meanings of caregiver sensitivity across five countries: India, Nepal, Korea, the United States of America (USA), and Germany. We examine the prevalence of maternal reactive and proactive sensitivity, children's emotional lability and regulation, and how mothers' sensitivity types are related to children's emotional characteristics. Participants included 472 mothers from the five countries with children aged between 6 and 7 years. Mothers reported their sensitivity preference in multiple vignettes and completed an emotion regulation checklist to report their children's emotional lability and regulation. A set of analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) found cultural differences in mothers' preference for proactive and reactive sensitivity. Mothers in India and Nepal reported the highest preference for proactive sensitivity followed by Korea and the USA, while German mothers reported the lowest preference for proactive sensitivity. Consequent regression analyses revealed varying associations between proactive sensitivity and child emotional characteristics in all five countries either directly or as moderated by child sex. These results evidence that parental ethnotheories are part of the developmental niche embedded in a larger cultural context. Findings on the differential links between the types of sensitivity and child emotion regulation provide cultural models of parental emotion socialization and children's emotional functioning.

Associations Between Adult Attachment, Maternal Emotion Socialization and Child Behavior

BACKGROUND

Attachment theories suggest that the adult attachment styles of mothers may influence behavior problems among their children; however, empirical studies examining the direct role of maternal adult attachment styles and the mechanisms through emotion-related parenting are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the influence of maternal adult attachment styles and emotion-related parenting on child internalizing and externalizing problems.

METHODS

The participants were 409 mothers with children aged 4-5 years. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain their adult attachment styles to their mothers, maternal emotion socialization, and their children's behavior problems.

RESULTS

The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses revealed that maternal adult attachment influenced child behavior problems directly and indirectly through maternal emotion socialization. (1) Maternal attachment anxiety directly affected child externalizing problems, and indirectly affected them via mothers' higher unsupportive emotion socialization (dismissing and dysfunction). Moreover, attachment anxiety influenced child internalizing problems directly, and indirectly via mothers' higher unsupportive emotion socialization (dysfunction). (2) Furthermore, attachment avoidance indirectly impacted child externalizing problems via mothers' lower supportive emotion socialization (coaching).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggested that maternal adult attachment styles and emotion-related parenting have important implications for the development of child behaviors. Future interventions should target parental factors to mitigate the risk of behavior problems among preschoolers.

Emotional Dysregulation Mediates the Association Between Unsupportive Maternal Socialization Strategies of Overjoy and Psychopathological Symptoms in Adolescent Boys but not Girls

Mothers play an important role in the emotion socialization of their teenage children, with implications for psychological adjustment. However, studies on maternal socialization of positive emotions in adolescence are still scarce and inconclusive. In this study, we aim to deepen our understanding on the association between unsupportive maternal socialization strategies of overjoy and internalization but also externalization symptoms as mediated by emotion dysregulation, and moderated by adolescents' gender. The study was conducted with 418 adolescents (M age = 14.75; 57.7% girls). Moderated mediation analysis indicated the effect of punishment and override of overjoy on internalization (punishment: b = 1.38, 95% CI [0.63, 2.31]; override: b = 1.36, 95% CI [0.59, 2.31]) and externalization (punishment: b = 0.71, 95% CI [0.20, 1.34]; override: b = 0.77, 95% CI [0.26, 1.46]) was mediated by emotional dysregulation in the case of boys. Contrary to expectations, for girls this effect was not found, indicating that further analysis are required.

Development and validation of a scale assessing parental varied responses to Chinese adolescents' negative emotions

OBJECTIVES

Parental responses to children's negative emotions (PRCNE) constitute a critical construct in the study of emotion socialization in children and adolescents. The objective of this research was to develop and validate a concise scale for assessing how adolescents perceive PRCNE in a Chinese context, resulting in the creation of the parental varied responses to Chinese adolescents' negative emotions (PVRCANE) scale. The PVRCANE aims to evaluate seven forms of PRCNE, including the six types encompassed by the commonly used Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale-Adolescent Version (CCNES-AV), as well as an additional, culturally specific category frequently seen in Chinese families: didactic talk and teaching.

METHODS

In Study 1, a group of participants (N = 901, Mage  = 13.39 years, SD = 0.92) completed the initial PVRCANE and the CCNES-Adolescent Version. In Study 2: A separate group of participants (N = 320, Mage  = 13.54 years, SD = 0.57) filled in PVRCANE and scales evaluating parental socialization goals and adolescents' depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

In Study 1, factor analyses showed that a four-factor structure best fit the data, leading to the final version of the PVRCANE, which includes 35 items. PVRCANE scores exhibited good internal consistency (Omega > 0.79) and convergent validity, demonstrated by their close correlation with traditional CCNES scores. Study 2 confirmed the PVRCANE's measurement invariance for both male and female parents and demonstrated criterion validity by showing significant relationships between PVRCANE scores, parental socialization goals, and adolescents' symptoms of depression.

CONCLUSION

The PVRCANE is a brief, valid, and reliable scale for assessing PRCNE in Chinese adolescents. The study concludes with a discussion on future directions and how this research enhances the existing literature on emotion socialization, with a particular emphasis on the scale's potential application in other cultural settings.

An Integrative Model of Youth Anxiety: Cognitive-Affective Processes and Parenting in Developmental Context

Multiple theoretical frameworks have been proposed to provide a more comprehensive picture of the risk factors that influence anxiety-related developmental trajectories. Nonetheless, there remains a need for an integrative model that outlines: (1) which risk factors may be most pertinent at different points in development, and (2) how parenting may maintain, exacerbate, or attenuate an affective style that is characterized by high negative emotional reactivity to unfamiliar, uncertain, and threatening situations. A developmentally informed, integrative model has the potential to guide treatment development and delivery, which is critical to reducing the public health burden associated with these disorders. This paper outlines a model integrating research on many well-established risk mechanisms for anxiety disorders, focusing on (1) the developmental progression from emotional reactivity constructs early in life to those involving higher-level cognitive processes later in youth, and (2) potential pathways by which parenting may impact the stability of youth's cognitive-affective responses to threat-relevant information across development.

Maternal supportive responses to adolescents' negative emotions serve as protective factors for adolescents' hostile attribution bias longitudinally

Existing literature has documented that parenting links to children's hostile attribution biases (HAB). However, little is known about the role played by parental emotion socialization in children's HAB. To address this research gap, the present study investigated the role of parental responses to children's negative emotions (PRCNE) in predicting adolescents' HAB using a longitudinal study. Adolescents (N = 203; Mage  = 13.61 years old at Time 1), who were recruited from a city in mainland China, reported on their mothers' PRCNE and their own HAB at two waves over a year. The results showed that mothers' supportive responses (composed of emotion-focused responses and problem-focused responses) significantly predicted adolescents' reduced HAB over time; however, PRCNE including expressive encouragement, minimization, and nonsupportive responses (composed of punitive responses and parental distress) had no significant relation with adolescents' HAB. These findings add to the existing literature investigating antecedents to adolescents' social information processing deficits and biases.

Prospective within-family bidirectional effects between parental emotion socialization practices and Chinese adolescents' psychosocial adjustment

Previous research indicates that parental emotion socialization (ES) practices play important roles in adolescents' social and emotional development. However, longitudinal studies testing bidirectional effects are relatively scarce. Additionally, most studies have focused on people from Western societies. In the current 3-year, multi-informant, longitudinal study of Chinese adolescents and their parents, we investigated prospective bidirectional effects between parental positive ES practices and adolescents' psychosocial adjustment (i.e., self-esteem and depressive symptoms). Adolescents (N = 710 at T1, 50% boys, Mage = 12.41, SD = 0.59) reported on parental positive ES practices and their own depressive symptoms and self-esteem when they were in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. Mothers and fathers reported on their own use of positive ES practices at all three time points. We utilized a random intercept cross-lagged panel model to examine between- and within-family effects. Overall results showed robust effects of adolescent depressive symptoms on parental positive ES practices and bidirectional effects between parental ES and adolescent self-esteem. Effects differed by informants whether using adolescent-perceived data, or mother- or father-reported data. However, these child effects and bidirectional effects did not differ by adolescent sex. Our findings add to the understanding of parental ES and adolescent psychosocial adjustment.

Mothers' emotional expressivity in urban and rural societies: Salience and links with young adolescents' emotional wellbeing and expressivity

This research aims to investigate the salience of mothers' emotional expressivity and its links with adolescents' emotional wellbeing and expressivity in an urban society endorsing more individualism and a rural society ascribing to more collectivism. By comparing Chinese urban (N = 283, M age = 14.13) and rural (N = 247, M age = 14.09) adolescents, this research found that urban mothers' expression of positive-dominant and positive-submissive emotions (PD and PS) were more common while expression of negative-dominant (ND) emotions was less common than rural mothers'. PD and PS had significant links with urban and rural adolescents' increased emotional expressivity and self-esteem, however, only significantly related to urban adolescents' decreased depression but not with rural adolescents'. ND had significant links with both urban and rural adolescents' expression of negative emotions, however, only significantly correlated with urban adolescents' less level of self-esteem and rural adolescents' more expression of positive emotions. No significant difference was found in the salience of urban and rural mothers' expression of negative-submissive (NS) emotions, which positively related to both urban and rural adolescents' depression and emotional expressivity. Moreover, we found that adolescents' emotional wellbeing (i.e., self-esteem and depression) mediated the relationship between mothers' emotional expressivity and adolescents' expressivity in both societies. Overall, the study findings document that the salience of mothers' emotional expressivity and its relations with adolescents' emotional adjustment differ between urban and rural societies.

The link between emotion comprehension and cognitive perspective taking in theory of mind (ToM): a study of preschool children

The study examined the relation between perspective taking embedded in theory of mind (ToM) and emotion comprehension (EC) in young children. Our study involved children from Poland aged 3-6 (N = 99; 54% boys) from public and private kindergartens residing mainly in urban areas, whose parents could mostly be classified as middle class. The children were examined with the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) and three tasks targeting three aspects of ToM: a first-order false belief task, an appearance-reality test, and a mental states opacity task. The results showed similarities in performances between these different measures. However, only the opacity task predicted the emotion comprehension test results (η² = 0.13). The results indicate that the key element of ToM that explains individual differences in children's emotion comprehension is the full-blown understanding of perspective taking, namely that having access to an object under one description does not ensure access to that object under all descriptions. In the research, we took also into account the linguistic side of such specific competences as ToM and EC, which allowed us to see the role of language in scaffolding the development of children's ability to handle such socially fundamental tasks as understanding emotions and epistemic states.

Parent Emotion Talk with Preschoolers from Low-Income Mexican American and Chinese American Families: Links to Sociocultural Factors

Emotion talk (ET), an emotion socialization practice theorized to promote children's emotion understanding and emotion regulation, has been linked to better socioemotional adjustment in diverse samples. Immigrant children face developmentally unique challenges and opportunities related to their multi-lingual and multi-cultural experiences. The present study aimed to identify sociocultural correlates of parent ET in two groups of low-income immigrant families with preschool-age children: Mexican American (MA) and Chinese American (CA) families. In 90 parent-child dyads (child age = 38 to 70 months, 59% girls; 46 Mexican American and 44 Chinese American) recruited from Head Start programs, parents' (mostly mothers') ET quality and quantity (i.e., use of emotion words, emotion questions and explanations, and overall elaborateness of ET) were coded from verbal transcripts of a shared picture book reading task. First, we found similarities and differences in ET across the two groups. Both MA and CA parents used emotion words, emotion questions, and emotion reasoning, whereas linking the story to personal emotion experience was infrequent. MA parents used more negative emotion words, emotion reasoning, and engaged in more elaborate ET than CA parents. Second, we examined the unique relations of multiple socio-cultural factors (SES, cultural orientations, parent and child demographics) to parent ET. Parent education and child age were associated positively with emotion questions, income was associated positively with emotion reasoning, and parents' heritage culture orientation was associated positively with the elaborateness of ET. The findings highlight the need to consider socio-cultural variations in emotion socialization practices when adapting and disseminating socioemotional learning interventions.

The developmental psychopathology of detection and dual control - a commentary on Fox et al. (2023)

Behavioral inhibition in early life is among the robust predictors of later anxiety problems, particularly social anxiety, one of the most pressing mental health concerns across the lifespan. However, the predictive relation is far from perfect. Fox et al. reviewed the literature and their Detection and Dual Control framework to emphasize the role of moderators in the etiology of social anxiety. In doing so, they exemplify a developmental psychopathology approach. This commentary aligns the core features of Fox et al.'s review and theoretical model with specific tenets of developmental psychopathology. These tenets provide a structure for integrating the Detection and Dual Control framework with other developmental psychopathology models and guiding future directions for the field.

Show me your friends, I'll tell you your emotions: Emotional fit of immigrant-origin minority youth in cross-cultural friendship networks

The typical emotional responses to certain types of situations differ across cultures. Being reprimanded by your teacher in front of the class may be cause for anger and indignation among pupils in one cultural context, but for anger, shame, and possibly respect for the teacher among pupils in another cultural context. The consequence for immigrant-origin minorities is that they may not fit the emotions of the majority culture. Previous research has found that minorities who have majority contact have higher emotional fit with the majority culture. In the current study, we suggest that friendships with majority peers are particularly important to minorities' emotional fit. Students (945 minority and 1256 majority) from a representative sample of Belgian middle schools completed a sociometric questionnaire on their classroom friendships and rated their emotional experiences in two situations. Multilevel models yielded higher levels of emotional fit for minority youth with many (vs. few) majority friends as well as for minorities whose majority friends are connected (vs. less connected) to each other, or who are well-connected in the majority peer network. Having majority friends predicted emotional fit over and above majority contact in general.

Barriers and facilitators to participation in everyday activities for children with intellectual disabilities in China

BACKGROUND

Children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are vulnerable and participate less in everyday activities compared to their peers with typical development. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators related to the participation in everyday activities of children with IDs in China.

METHODS

Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary caregivers of children with IDs from special schools in Tianjin, China. The data were transcribed and analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Four categories of barriers to participation in everyday activities for children with IDs were identified: insufficient knowledge, attitudes and skills in primary caregivers; ID-related characteristics of children; stigma and Chinese culture; and lack of support from society. Four categories describing facilitators of participation in everyday activities for children with IDs were also identified: the optimistic attitude of the primary caregiver; adequate family support; active environment in school and policy; and attractive characteristics of children with IDs.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings in this study add knowledge on important barriers and facilitators affecting the participation of children with IDs in everyday activities in China. The primary caregivers' voices need to be heard by government and society. Appropriate and effective changes in family-oriented services and the legal, social, political and economic context of the child welfare management system for the scale-up of improving participation should be implemented for children with IDs.

Construct Validation for Toddler-Solicited Maternal Comforting Behavior as Relevant to Family Accommodation and Child Anxiety Risk

Reciprocal parent-child interactions are theorized to play a crucial role in child anxiety development and maintenance. The current study tested whether toddler-solicited maternal comforting behavior in low-threat (mildly challenging and novel) situations may be a unique, early indicator of anxiety-relevant interactions. Controlling for other types of maternal comforting behavior, a path model tested solicited comforting behavior in a low-threat context in relation to both family accommodation (FA) and child anxiety symptoms, which may subsequently continue to predict each other over time. Identifying the emergence of this cycle in early childhood could bolster anxiety development theory and preventative interventions. Mother-child dyads (n = 166) of predominantly non-Hispanic/Latinx European American and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds were assessed at child ages 2, 4, and school-age via laboratory observation and maternal report. A longitudinal path model showed that solicited comforting observed in a low-threat situation at age 2 predicted mother-reported FA and child anxiety symptoms at age 4, above and beyond unsolicited comforting behavior and comforting behavior in a high-threat context. Furthermore, FA and child anxiety were bidirectionally related between age 4 and school-age assessments. Results suggest that toddler-solicited comforting in low-threat situations may be a unique indicator of child-directed anxiogenic family processes. The current study also expands the FA literature by providing empirical evidence for a bi-directional relation between anxiety and accommodation in young children.

Violence Toward and by Youth: Part II-Recommendations for Violence Interventions in the School Setting

Violence toward and by youth is a public health crisis that can partially be addressed by the modified Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence (ABC) Model. Part I of this two-part series discussed the types of violence and the risk and protective factors that affect the prevalence of violence; it also addressed the emotions and thoughts that occur before the behaviors to help explain "why" youth engage in violence. Part II focuses on possible interventions by the school nurse and school staff. The modified ABC Model allows school nurses to focus on interventions that address the emotions and thoughts resulting from the antecedents as well as promote protective factors. Through their role in primary prevention, school nurses can also address risk factors for violence and participate in school and the wider community's efforts to mitigate violence.

Parental Happiness Socialization and Youth Adjustment in Italy and Azerbaijan in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

This study aims to cross-culturally identify the parental socialization strategies in response to a child's happiness and their associations with youth academic and socio-emotional adjustment, controlling for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were a convenient sample of Italian (N = 606, 81.9% mothers) and Azerbaijanis (N = 227, 61.4% mothers) parents of youths (Mage = 12.89, SD = 4.06; 51% girls). Parents filled out an online survey to assess their socialization strategies in response to their children's happiness, their children's negative emotion regulation and dysregulation, academic performance, and prosocial behavior. Exploratory factorial analysis showed the presence of two factors that enclosed supportive and unsupportive parental socialization strategies. A multiple-group path analysis model showed that similarly across countries, supportive parental strategies were positively related to youths' prosocial behavior and that unsupportive parental strategies were positively related to youths' negative emotion dysregulation, and negatively related to youths' academic performance and negative emotion regulation. Those results emerged controlling for parents' and adolescents' gender and age, parents' educational level, social desirability, and Covid-related problems. This study advances cross-cultural knowledge about the impact of the strategies that parents use to socialize their children's happiness in the unique context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commonality and Specificity in Chinese Parental Emotion Socialization and Adolescents' Psychological Functioning: A Bifactor Approach

Understanding of the conceptual relations among different parental emotion socialization processes (i.e., whether and how they are distinct or share common components) and their developmental implications for adolescents is limited, especially within Asian cultural contexts. Guided by the parental emotion socialization framework, this study aimed to: (1) investigate a conceptual model that delineates general and specific components in parental emotion socialization with both adolescents and parents within a contemporary Asian cultural context-Beijing, China, and (2) examine whether the common and specific processes predicted adolescents' psychological functioning six months later for both informants. Participants included 1486 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 15.11 years; 52.6% males) and their primary caregivers (M_age = 44.93 years; 44.9% males). Both adolescents and parents self-reported on parental emotion socialization and adolescents completed a measure of their psychological functioning at two time-points. We evaluated the fit of one-factor, first-order factor, and bifactor models for both informants separately. Results indicated a good fit of the bifactor model with a proposed general factor of parent meta-emotion philosophy and specific factors of parental reaction and emotional expressivity, with partial factorial invariance of the parental reaction factor across informants. The common and specific factors uniquely predicted adolescents' psychological functioning. Findings inform the parental emotion socialization framework, particularly our conceptual understanding of the different processes with Asian samples, and have practical implications for the design and implementation of comprehensive and culturally relevant parenting interventions in support of adolescent psychological functioning.

Maternal Worry Socialization and Toddler Inhibited Temperament: Transactional Associations and Stability across Time

Caregiver socialization of child emotions has consequences for both typical development and anxiety risk, with caregivers' non-supportive responses to worry perhaps especially salient to children's anxiety development. Children, in turn, impact the caregiving environment they receive through their temperament. We investigated transactional relations between maternal non-supportive responses to child worry (mother-reported) and two differently-measured child inhibited temperament indices (i.e., mother-perceived child inhibition to novelty, laboratory-observed child dysregulated fear) in a sample of 136 predominantly non-Hispanic, White mother-toddler dyads. Worry socialization and mother-reported inhibition to novelty were measured at each of three time points (toddler age 2, 3, 4 years), and dysregulated fear was measured at ages 2 and 3. Constructs showed stability across time, with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. Child inhibited temperament measures positively correlated within time point at ages 2 and 3, and laboratory-observed child dysregulated fear predicted mothers' later perceptions of their children's inhibition to novelty. At toddler age 2, mothers of children showing more dysregulated fear reported responding more non-supportively to worry. However, when controlling for one another, more mother-perceived child inhibition to novelty and less laboratory-observed child dysregulated fear at age 3 predicted mothers' greater non-supportive worry responses at child age 4. There was an indirect effect across time, such that children's greater laboratory-observed dysregulated fear predicted their mothers' heightened perceptions of inhibited temperament, which in turn predicted mothers' greater non-supportive worry responses. Findings lend support to anxiety-relevant construct stability in toddlerhood, as well as child-elicited, rather than parent-elicited, associations across time.

Patterns of Parental Reactions to Their Children's Negative Emotions: A Cluster Analysis with a Clinical Sample

Parents’ emotion socialization practices are an important source of influence in the development of children’s emotional competencies This study examined parental reactions to child negative emotions in a clinical sample using a cluster analysis approach and explored the associations between clusters of parents’ reactions and children’s and parents’ adjustment. The sample comprised 80 parents of Portuguese children (aged 3–13 years) attending a child and adolescent psychiatry unit. Measures to assess parental reactions to children’s negative emotions, parents’ psychopathological symptoms, parents’ emotion dysregulation, and children’s adjustment were administered to parents. Model-based cluster analysis resulted in three clusters: low unsupportive, high supportive, and inconsistent reactions clusters. These clusters differed significantly in terms of parents’ psychopathological symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and children’s adjustment. A pattern characterized by high supportive reactions to the child’s emotions was associated with higher levels of children’s adjustment. On the other hand, an inconsistent reactions pattern was associated with the worst indicators of children’s adjustment and parental emotion dysregulation. These results suggest the importance of supporting parents of children with emotional and behavioural problems so that they can be more responsive to their children’s emotional manifestations.

Parents' Beliefs, Depressive Symptoms, and Emotion Regulation Uniquely Relate to Parental Responses to Adolescent Positive Affect

Parents' socialization of positive affect is relevant during adolescence, given that parents play a key role in the development of youth emotional competency. The current study hypothesized that parent characteristics (emotion regulation, belief that positive emotions are costly, and depressive symptoms) would be uniquely related to both dampening and enhancing responses to youth positive affect. Parents (n = 373) of adolescents (youth ages 10-17 years) were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Parents reported on their own regulation of both positive and negative emotions, depressive symptoms, beliefs about youth emotions, and responses to adolescent expressions of positive affect. The final structural regression model partially supported the hypothesis with respect to parental dampening responses. Depressive symptoms, over-controlled emotion regulation, and beliefs about positive emotions each uniquely related to dampening. Only the coping emotion regulation strategies factor was uniquely associated with parents' enhancing responses. These findings support existing theories of parental emotion socialization, though the final model in this sample provides more insight into parental dampening than parental enhancing responses to positive affect. The finding that emotion regulation strategies (over-controlled and coping) were differentially related to parental responses to youth positive affect suggests a connection between parents' regulation of their own emotions and responses to their offspring's emotion expressions.

Parent Emotion Socialization and Positive Emotions in Child and Adolescent Clinical Samples: A Systematic Review and Call to Action

The majority of the emotion socialization behaviors (ESB) literature has focused on community samples and socialization of negative emotions. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that ESB are also critical in setting the foundations for the healthy development of positive emotions, with implications for developmental psychopathology. We conducted a systematic review of research examining parent ESB and youth positive emotions in clinical child and adolescent samples. A literature search was conducted in March 2021, resulting in 563 abstracts being reviewed. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts to identify relevant papers, with 53 articles being reviewed in full. Seven articles (four cross-sectional and correlational, three intervention) were included in the current review, of which one was with an internalizing sample, three were with an externalizing sample, and three were with a neurodevelopmental disorder sample. Results varied regarding the role of parent ESB in youth positive emotions across clinical populations. In correlational studies, minimal evidence was found for the association between parent ESB and youth positive emotions, but across the three intervention studies, there was evidence that both parent ESB and children's positive emotions can be improved through intervention. We present a preliminary model of relations between youth psychopathology, parent ESB, and child positive emotions, with consideration of potential moderators of links between ESB and positive emotions. Finally, we discuss limitations of the existing body of research, and offer specific recommendations for future research directions.

The Adaptive Test of Emotion Knowledge for 3-to 9-Year-Olds: Psychometric Properties and Validity

Children with an advanced knowledge of emotions are generally more socially competent, less likely to suffer from psychopathology, and more likely to succeed in school, both socially and academically. The assessment of children's emotion knowledge has thus gained importance in recent decades - both in psychiatric practice and in developmental and educational psychology. However, there is still a lack of appropriate instruments for assessing children's emotion knowledge in a performance test reliably, and for a broad age range. The Adaptive Test of Emotion Knowledge (ATEM 3-9) is a newly developed measure which encompasses seven components of emotion knowledge in 3-9-year-olds. The ATEM 3-9 is an adaptive test which uses skip and dropout rules to adjust for children's varying levels of knowledge. In addition to German, the ATEM has been translated into English and Hebrew. The German norming sample of the ATEM 3-9 comprises N = 882 (54% female, 21% bilingual) children between the ages of 3 and 9 years, who were divided into seven age groups. Test items, which are ordered according to the item response theory, showed a good fit to a seven-dimensional model reflecting the seven components. The internal consistencies of the dimensions are acceptable to good. Construct validity was examined by means of correlations with other measures of emotion knowledge, as well as measures on language skills and executive functions in a subsample. This resulted in medium size correlations in the expected directions. In addition, children with externalizing and internalizing disorders who were recruited in psychiatric in- and outpatient clinics showed deficits in various components of emotion knowledge when compared to their agemates in the norming sample. Overall, the ATEM 3-9 is well suited to measure individual components of emotion knowledge in children and to obtain a differentiated picture of the various aspects of emotion knowledge. The ATEM 3-9 thus supports the investigation of the development of social-emotional competencies in normative development (e.g., school readiness) and in social-emotional-learning interventions. Furthermore, it is suitable as an instrument for the differentiated assessment of (progress of) children's emotion knowledge in clinical child psychology and psychiatry.

Cultural Orientation, Parental Emotion Socialization, and Adolescents’ Socio-Emotional Functioning Across Three Asian Cultures: India, China, and Singapore

Limited research has examined parental emotion socialization across Asian cultural contexts. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of family change and self-construal, this study examined cultural orientation toward independence-interdependence, parental emotion socialization processes, and their relations with adolescents’ psychological adjustment across three Asian cultural contexts—rural families in South India, suburban families in China, and families in Singapore. Participants included 300 Indian adolescents ( Mage = 15.58 years; 57.3% male) and their parents, 310 Chinese adolescents ( Mage = 13.04 years; 46.3% female) and their parents, and 241 Singaporean adolescents ( Mage = 14.44 years; 48.3% female) and their parents. Both adolescents and parents completed self-report measures of cultural orientation and emotion socialization, and adolescents completed a measure of their psychological adjustment. We first established construct validation for two emotion socialization processes and found that the factor structure for parental reactions varied across Asian contexts and parent versus adolescent reports, while the factor structure for parental emotion expressivity varied only across informants. Second, we tested whether the two parental emotion socialization processes mediated the association between cultural orientation toward independence-interdependence and adolescent behavior problems, and found differential relations across the three Asian contexts. Our data supported the model of family change and showed that across the Asian societies, the variations in independence-interdependence orientation provide different models of parental emotion socialization with nuances in meaning and function, as revealed by the construct validation of parental reactions and emotional expressivity and their implications for adolescents’ socio-emotional functioning.

Transdiagnostic Implications of Parental Socialization of Child and Adolescent Emotional Development: Commentary and Future Directions

This special issue consists of 23 articles focusing on parent socialization of emotion in children and adolescents as a transdiagnostic factor for the development of psychopathology. The papers in this special issue span various emotion socialization domains, methodologies, ages, and clinical and non-clinical populations, highlighting the promise, as well as complexities of, such transactional work. Our goals for this commentary include synthesizing the articles, highlighting common themes, and suggesting future research initiatives involving measurement, developmental, and cultural considerations. It is our hope that the research presented in this special issue will inspire future, high-quality research on this topic and ultimately improve outcomes for children and adolescents at risk for poor emotion regulation and psychopathology.

Cross-Cultural Associations of Four Parenting Behaviors With Child Flourishing: Examining Cultural Specificity and Commonality in Cultural Normativeness and Intergenerational Transmission Processes

Families from nine countries (N = 1,338) were interviewed annually seven times (M_age child = 7-15) to test specificity and commonality in parenting behaviors associated with child flourishing and moderation of associations by normativeness of parenting. Participants included 1,338 children (M = 8.59 years, SD = 0.68, range = 7-11 years; 50% girls), their mothers (N = 1,283, M = 37.04 years, SD = 6.51, range = 19-70 years), and their fathers (N = 1,170, M = 40.19 years, SD = 6.75, range = 22-76 years) at Wave 1 of 7 annual waves collected between 2008 and 2017. Families were recruited from 12 ethnocultural groups in nine countries including: Shanghai, China (n = 123); Medellín, Colombia (n = 108); Naples (n = 102) and Rome (n = 111), Italy; Zarqa, Jordan (n = 114); Kisumu, Kenya (n = 100); Manila, Philippines (n = 120); Trollhättan & Vänersborg, Sweden (n = 129); Chiang Mai, Thailand (n = 120); and Durham, NC, United States (n = 110 White, n = 102 Black, n = 99 Latinx). Intergenerational parenting (parenting passed from Generation 1 to Generation 2) demonstrated specificity. Children from cultures with above-average G2 parent warmth experienced the most benefit from the intergenerational transmission of warmth, whereas children from cultures with below-average G2 hostility, neglect, and rejection were best protected from deleterious intergenerational effects of parenting behaviors on flourishing. Single-generation parenting (Generation 2 parenting directly associated with Generation 3 flourishing) demonstrated commonality. Parent warmth promoted, and parent hostility, neglect, and rejection impeded the development of child flourishing largely regardless of parenting norms.

Are Preschoolers' Neurobiological Stress Systems Responsive to Culturally Relevant Contexts?

Adults are biologically responsive to context, and their responses to particular situations may differ across cultures. However, are preschoolers' biological systems also responsive to situational contexts and cultures? Here, we show that children's neurobiological stress responses, as indexed by salivary cortisol, are activated and responsive to psychosocial stressors relevant to their sociocultural emphases. By examining cortisol changes across different contexts among 138 preschoolers living in the United States, China, and Japan, we found that an achievement-related stressor elicited an increased cortisol response among Chinese preschoolers, whereas interpersonal-related stressors elicited an increased cortisol response among Japanese preschoolers. By contrast, U.S. preschoolers showed decreased cortisol responses after these stressors but consistently higher levels of anticipatory responses to separation at the beginning of each session. Our findings suggest that children's neurobiological stress systems may be a critical biological mechanism allowing societal-level cultural phenomena to be embodied in individual-level responses, even among preschoolers.