Article
Mothers’ self-reported emotional expression in Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American families
International Journal of Behavioral Development
(2008)
Abstract
This study compared Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American mothers’ selfreported
emotional expression within the family. Mothers of 3-year-old European American (n =
40), Chinese American (n = 39) and Mainland Chinese (n = 36) children (n = 20 girls per group)
completed the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire (SEFQ), a measure that includes 40
items describing the expression of positive and negative emotion (20 items each). Respondents
indicate how frequently they engage in each expressive practice. Mothers also completed a questionnaire
regarding family ecology variables. European American mothers reported significantly more
positive emotional expression than Mainland Chinese mothers, although no significant differences
were found for expression of negative emotion. While family ecology differed across groups, these
variables were not related to the emotional expression scores. No child-gender differences were
obtained. Results of this study confirm the presence of cultural differences in mothers’ emotional
expressivity.
Keywords
- cross-cultural developmental psychology,
- emotion,
- parenting style
Disciplines
Publication Date
2008
DOI
10.1177/0165025408093665
Citation Information
Linda A. Camras, Karen Kolmodin and Yinghe Chen. "Mothers’ self-reported emotional expression in Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American families" International Journal of Behavioral Development Vol. 32 Iss. 5 (2008) p. 454 - 458 ISSN: 0165-0254 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/linda_camras/24/