Prospective within-family bidirectional effects between parental emotion socialization practices and Chinese adolescents' psychosocial adjustment
Lixian Cui, Qian Sun, Niobe Way, Theodore E. A. Waters, Xuan Li, Cong Zhang, Guangzhen Zhang, Xinyin Chen, Sumie Okazaki, Hirokazu Yoshikawa
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.
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Lixian Cui, Qian Sun, Niobe Way, Theodore E. A. Waters, Xuan Li, Cong Zhang, Guangzhen Zhang, Xinyin Chen, Sumie Okazaki, Hirokazu Yoshikawa
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.
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The Association between Infants' Self-regulatory Behavior and MAOA Gene Polymorphism
Minghao Zhang, Xinyin Chen, Niobe Way, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Huihua Deng, Xiaoyan Ke, Weiwei Yu, Ping Chen, Chuan He, Xia Chi, Zuhong Lu
Self-regulatory behavior in early childhood is an important characteristic that has considerable implications for the development of adaptive and maladaptive functioning. The present study investigated the relations between a functional polymorphism in the upstream region of monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) and self-regulatory behavior in a sample of Chinese infants at 6 months of age. Self-regulation was assessed by observing infants' behavior of orienting visual attention away from a threatening event in the laboratory situation. The results indicated that regulatory behavior was associated with the functional MAOA gene polymorphism in girls, but not boys. Girls with 4/4 genotypes displayed significantly higher regulation than girls with 3/3 and 3/4 genotypes. The present study provided evidence for gender differences on the role of MAOA gene polymorphism in socioemotional functioning in the early years.
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Minghao Zhang, Xinyin Chen, Niobe Way, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Huihua Deng, Xiaoyan Ke, Weiwei Yu, Ping Chen, Chuan He, Xia Chi, Zuhong Lu
Self-regulatory behavior in early childhood is an important characteristic that has considerable implications for the development of adaptive and maladaptive functioning. The present study investigated the relations between a functional polymorphism in the upstream region of monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) and self-regulatory behavior in a sample of Chinese infants at 6 months of age. Self-regulation was assessed by observing infants' behavior of orienting visual attention away from a threatening event in the laboratory situation. The results indicated that regulatory behavior was associated with the functional MAOA gene polymorphism in girls, but not boys. Girls with 4/4 genotypes displayed significantly higher regulation than girls with 3/3 and 3/4 genotypes. The present study provided evidence for gender differences on the role of MAOA gene polymorphism in socioemotional functioning in the early years.
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Large-scale Economic Change and Youth Development: The Case of Urban China
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Niobe Way, Xinyin Chen
This chapter considers how large-scale economic change in urban China affects youth development and outlines developmental mechanisms and labor-market moderators.
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Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Niobe Way, Xinyin Chen
This chapter considers how large-scale economic change in urban China affects youth development and outlines developmental mechanisms and labor-market moderators.
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Social and Emotional Parenting: Mothering in a Changing Chinese Society
Niobe Way, Sumie Okazaki, Jing Zhao, Joanna J., Kim, Xinyin Chen, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Yueming Jia, Huihua Deng
Chua’s (2011) book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother generated vigorous debate regarding its description of “Chinese” parenting ideology and practices. In this article, the authors analyzed the narratives from 24 Chinese mothers of middle school students in Nanjing, China to explore their parenting ideology and practices. In sharp distinction to the “Tiger Mother” image, our analysis indicated that although all mothers wanted their children to do well in school, their primary goals were focused on raising socially and emotionally well-adjusted children who had the capacity to be self-sufficient and gainfully employed in the future. With few exceptions, the mothers’ strategies for achieving these goals included providing their children the freedom to make their own decisions and not forcing their children to engage in particular activities. These strategies were based on their concerns for the children’s short-term and long-term happiness as well as a perception that the way they were raised was no longer relevant to raising their children; consequently, the mothers allowed their children more autonomy and control to forge their own path than the mothers themselves were allowed as children. Our findings draw attention to the social, political, and economic context of China and how this changing context is shaping parenting goals and practices
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Niobe Way, Sumie Okazaki, Jing Zhao, Joanna J., Kim, Xinyin Chen, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Yueming Jia, Huihua Deng
Chua’s (2011) book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother generated vigorous debate regarding its description of “Chinese” parenting ideology and practices. In this article, the authors analyzed the narratives from 24 Chinese mothers of middle school students in Nanjing, China to explore their parenting ideology and practices. In sharp distinction to the “Tiger Mother” image, our analysis indicated that although all mothers wanted their children to do well in school, their primary goals were focused on raising socially and emotionally well-adjusted children who had the capacity to be self-sufficient and gainfully employed in the future. With few exceptions, the mothers’ strategies for achieving these goals included providing their children the freedom to make their own decisions and not forcing their children to engage in particular activities. These strategies were based on their concerns for the children’s short-term and long-term happiness as well as a perception that the way they were raised was no longer relevant to raising their children; consequently, the mothers allowed their children more autonomy and control to forge their own path than the mothers themselves were allowed as children. Our findings draw attention to the social, political, and economic context of China and how this changing context is shaping parenting goals and practices
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Gender-Typed Behaviors in Friendships and Well-Being: A Cross-Cultral Study of Chinese and American Boys
Taveeshi Gupta, Niobe Way, Rebecca K. McGill, Diane Hughes, Carlos Santos, Yueming Jia, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Xinyin Chen, Huihua Deng
This 3-year, longitudinal analysis examined the psychological and social correlates of adhering to gender-typed behaviors in friendships among boys during middle school in United States (N = 446, Mage = 11.37 years) and in China (N = 368, Mage = 12.20 years). Results indicated that boys did not differ by nationality in the mean levels or in the increase over time in adherence to gender-typed behaviors. Furthermore, adherence over time was associated with higher depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and lower friendship quality for boys in both countries. However, the associations between gender-typed behaviors and friendship quality and depressive symptoms were stronger for boys in the United States. Our study suggests that gender-typed behaviors play an important role in the well-being of youth in different parts of the world
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Taveeshi Gupta, Niobe Way, Rebecca K. McGill, Diane Hughes, Carlos Santos, Yueming Jia, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Xinyin Chen, Huihua Deng
This 3-year, longitudinal analysis examined the psychological and social correlates of adhering to gender-typed behaviors in friendships among boys during middle school in United States (N = 446, Mage = 11.37 years) and in China (N = 368, Mage = 12.20 years). Results indicated that boys did not differ by nationality in the mean levels or in the increase over time in adherence to gender-typed behaviors. Furthermore, adherence over time was associated with higher depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and lower friendship quality for boys in both countries. However, the associations between gender-typed behaviors and friendship quality and depressive symptoms were stronger for boys in the United States. Our study suggests that gender-typed behaviors play an important role in the well-being of youth in different parts of the world
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Income, Work Preferences and Gender Roles among Parents of Infants in Urban China: A Mixed Method Study from Nanjing
Sung Won Kim, Vanessa L. Fong, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Niobe Way, Xinyin Chen, Huihua Deng and Zuhong Lu
This article explores the relationship between gender and income inequality within and across households in an urban Chinese sample by looking at survey data from 381 married couples with infants born in a Nanjing hospital between 2006 and 2007 and in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of 80 of these couples. We explore the relationship between family income and differences between husbands' and wives' work preferences. A couple-level quantitative analysis shows that in lower-income families, husbands were more likely than their wives to prefer career advancement and low stress at work, and wives were more likely than their husbands to prefer state jobs. Our analyses of the qualitative subsample show that, even though high-income husbands and wives are more likely to share similar work preferences, the household division of roles within their marriages is still gendered along traditional lines, as it is in the marriages of low-income couple
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Sung Won Kim, Vanessa L. Fong, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Niobe Way, Xinyin Chen, Huihua Deng and Zuhong Lu
This article explores the relationship between gender and income inequality within and across households in an urban Chinese sample by looking at survey data from 381 married couples with infants born in a Nanjing hospital between 2006 and 2007 and in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of 80 of these couples. We explore the relationship between family income and differences between husbands' and wives' work preferences. A couple-level quantitative analysis shows that in lower-income families, husbands were more likely than their wives to prefer career advancement and low stress at work, and wives were more likely than their husbands to prefer state jobs. Our analyses of the qualitative subsample show that, even though high-income husbands and wives are more likely to share similar work preferences, the household division of roles within their marriages is still gendered along traditional lines, as it is in the marriages of low-income couple
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The Influence of Student Perceptions of School Climate on Socioemotional and Academic Adjustment: A Comparison of Chinese and American Adolescents
Yueming Jia, Niobe Way, Guangming Ling, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Xinyin Chen, Diane Hughes, Xiaoyan Ke, Zuhong Lu
This study explored students’ perceptions of 3 dimensions of school climate (teacher support, student–student support, and opportunities for autonomy in the classroom) and the associations between these dimensions and adolescent psychological and academic adjustment in China and the United States. Data were drawn from 2 studies involving 706 middle school students (M = 12.26) from Nanjing, China, and 709 middle school students (M = 12.36) from New York City. Findings revealed that students in China perceived higher levels of teacher support, student–student support, and opportunities for autonomy in the classroom than students in the United States. Furthermore, students’ perceptions of teacher support and student–student support were positively associated with adolescents’ self-esteem and grade point average but negatively associated with depressive symptoms for both Chinese and American adolescents
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Yueming Jia, Niobe Way, Guangming Ling, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Xinyin Chen, Diane Hughes, Xiaoyan Ke, Zuhong Lu
This study explored students’ perceptions of 3 dimensions of school climate (teacher support, student–student support, and opportunities for autonomy in the classroom) and the associations between these dimensions and adolescent psychological and academic adjustment in China and the United States. Data were drawn from 2 studies involving 706 middle school students (M = 12.26) from Nanjing, China, and 709 middle school students (M = 12.36) from New York City. Findings revealed that students in China perceived higher levels of teacher support, student–student support, and opportunities for autonomy in the classroom than students in the United States. Furthermore, students’ perceptions of teacher support and student–student support were positively associated with adolescents’ self-esteem and grade point average but negatively associated with depressive symptoms for both Chinese and American adolescents
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