Mothers’ Socialization Goals,Mothers’ Emotion Socialization Behaviors,Child Emotion Regulation,and Child Socioemotional Functioning in Urban India

Abstract

Studies examining the link between parental socialization and child functioning in varying cultural contexts are scarce. Focusing on early adolescents in suburban middle-class families in India, the present study examined interrelations among reports of mothers’ socialization goals, socialization behaviors in response to child emotion, child emotion regulation, and child socioemotional functioning. One hundred and ten mothers and one of their children attending seventh grade at middle schools in Gujarat, India participated. Results indicated that suburban Indian mothers were more likely to endorse relational than autonomous socialization goals, and relational socialization goals were related to mothers’ reported explanation-oriented socialization behaviors in response to their children’s anger or sadness. Children’s self-reported regulation of anger and sadness mediated the negative relation between reports of mothers’ explanation-oriented supportive behaviors and child behavior problems. Moreover, children’s self-reported dysregulation partially mediated the positive association between reports of mothers’ nonsupportive behaviors and child behavior problems.