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How we feel about “us”: A longitudinal study on ethnic-racial socialization and ethnic-racial affect development in middle childhood to early adolescence.

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: For ethnic-racial minoritized children, ethnic-racial affect-feelings about their group and heritage-is a key part of identity development. However, little is known about how positive (e.g., pride about one's group or heritage) and negative (e.g., shame about one's group or heritage) ethnic-racial affect develops over time in children. Examining the developmental trajectories and factors that shape these feelings can help elucidate how to ensure positive child development even in the face of experiencing racism. Therefore, in our 3-year longitudinal study with 117 ethnic-racial minoritized mother-child dyads from the Netherlands (Turkish heritage = 59%, West African or Caribbean heritage = 41%), we used a multimethod approach and multilevel modeling to examine children's ethnic-racial affect development from middle childhood to early adolescence. We were specifically interested in whether and to what extent mothers' ethnic-racial socialization (i.e., messages and practices that convey information about ethnicity and race-related topics), measured through questionnaires and video observations, contributes to ethnic-racial affect development. Our findings indicate that children's positive ethnic-racial affect remained stable over time, while their negative ethnic-racial affect decreased over time. Notably, mothers' higher observed cultural socialization about identity-related topics, such as skin color, national identity, and cultural heritage, was associated with a decrease in children's negative ethnic-racial affect across time. Findings suggest that parent-child conversation about identity-related topics may promote positive child development in the face of experiencing racism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Developmental Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/dev0002105

Authors: Daudi van Veen, Judi Mesman

Institutions: Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University

Language: English

Topic: Racial and Ethnic Identity Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek