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This study examined the role of racial attitudes in a diverse high school setting. Teachers and students were recruited from a public charter high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The final sample consisted of 19 students and 10 teachers who participated in face-to-face interviews regarding racial attitudes and racial bias in the academic setting. Three themes emerged among the teacher interviews: rejecting racial inequalities, contradicting thoughts and color-blind explanations, and racially conscious explanations. For the student interviews, two themes emerged: color-blind racial attitudes and witnessing/experiencing bias. These findings yield evidence that color-blind racial attitudes are prevalent in diverse schools among students and teachers, presenting a challenge to intervention efforts in schools aimed at promoting racial justice.

Social injustices toward minority groups are pervasive around the world, and further exacerbated by global threats such as COVID-19 and climate change. Prosocial tendencies, such as empathy, moral reasoning, and helping behaviors directed only toward members of one's own social groups, discriminate against outgroups, and can perpetuate an unjust status quo. Yet, recent meta-analyses point to effective intervention programs that can foster prosocial responses across group lines. Developmental science has identified evidence-based interventions, policies, and programs to foster inclusive prosocial tendencies (toward both in-group and out-group members) to redress social injustices and inequities, and ultimately, lead to more just and peaceful societies. The recent developmental science informs five policy principles (e.g., developmental science, resilience, culture, collaboration, and sustainability) that can advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around inclusion and peace.

African American and US Latinx families have faced over two centuries of systemic racism and discrimination, elevating risk for trauma, adversity, and disparities for their youth. These circumstances have compromised the health and well-being of many of these youth. However, many other African American and US Latinx youth are able to succeed despite these challenges. In recent years, scholars have begun to identify ways in which minoritized youth adapt and respond to adversity to become competent, well-functioning individuals. Drawing on two conceptual models of cultural resilience, one grounded in the study of African American youth and one grounded in the study of US Latinx youth, we summarize supportive research associated with each model. Using these conceptual models to guide our critical review of extant studies, we present an integrative review of work to guide the design of strength-based, cultural asset-centered research studies and preventive interventions targeting African American and US Latinx youth.

With a growing population of Latinx youth immigrating to the United States, it is important to understand how Latinx youth adapt to mainstream U.S. culture. Given that the majority of research examining social development among recent immigrant adolescents has focused on negative adjustment outcomes, research examining positive social behaviors is needed to avoid deficit approaches to their development, gain a holistic understanding of youth development, and improve interventions with this population.This study examined the associations among trajectories in cultural integration and multiple prosocial behaviors among recent immigrant U.S. Latinx adolescents in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California. Adolescents (N = 302; 53.3% males; M age = 14.51 years) completed measures of integration and prosocial behaviors across six time points. Latent growth curve models indicated that integration significantly increased, though this growth tapered off over time. The growth in prosocial behaviors depended on the specific form of helping assessed. While the growth in altruistic and compliant prosocial behaviors was stagnant, there was an increase in anonymous prosocial behaviors and a decrease in public and dire prosocial behaviors. Emotional behaviors did not linearly change, though slightly tapered off by the final time points. Parallel process latent growth curve model results indicated positive correlations between the slopes of cultural integration and most forms of prosocial behaviors. These findings highlight the positive role of cultural integration as an acculturative process for U.S. Latinx youth and the multidimensionality of prosocial behaviors.

For researchers interested in how pedagogy within schools can be used as a catalyst for adolescent moral development, investigating practitioner-based studies of classroom practices that support the growth of prosocial behaviors is crucial. This paper delineates a qualitative study conducted in an ethnically diverse high school language arts classroom where texts were being utilized to promote moral development across multiple domains. Authors describe how the critical reading and discussion of the comic "Yummy" led students to express emotional responses to the text centered in feelings of empathy, gratitude, and community awareness. Findings suggest that these specific emotional reactions demonstrate potential for critical, social consciousness and the development of empathic and prosocial behaviors. Fundamentally, this paper seeks to enrich scholarship in the field of adolescent moral development by arguing that pedagogy within schools can be utilized to promote emotions and cognitions that lead to community action.

This longitudinal study examined the moderating roles of language use and gender in the relations between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing behaviour problems in 242 preschool children (48% girls) enrolled in Head Start centres. Teachers and parents completed the "Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1 1/2-5." Mothers completed the "Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale." Results indicated the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing problems (as reported by mothers but not teachers) varied by language use, such that higher maternal depressive symptoms predicted internalizing problems for children who spoke Spanish as primary language, but not for English-speaking children. Gender did not play a role in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and internalizing problems. The importance of supporting Spanish-speaking children and families was discussed.

Lower socioeconomic status is related to sleep/wake problems in early childhood, however, the effects are not uniform and there is a need to understand individual differences. We examined whether maternal mindful parenting moderated this association. Participants were 172 mothers of 2- to 5-year-old children (children's M age = 3.30 years) from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds. Socioeconomic status was indexed using income-to-needs ratio. Mothers reported on children's sleep/wake problems (insufficient sleep duration, night wakings, daytime sleepiness) and two dimensions of mindful parenting (mindful discipline, being in the moment with the child). Higher levels of maternal mindful parenting buffered the extent to which lower socioeconomic status conferred risk for children's insufficient sleep duration and night wakings. Findings build on the literature to consider sleep in the family context and illustrate that positive parenting characteristics may reduce risk for sleep/wake problems in lower socioeconomic contexts.

Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in child care environments has raised a public concern. This study aimed to characterize indoor VOCs in four facilities of Head Start programs in Kansas city, Missouri, investigate seasonal and spatial variations in VOC levels, and assess health risks associated with children's VOC exposure. In total, 49 VOCs including aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, glycol ethers, esters and chlorinated hydrocarbons were identified and quantified in the facilities. Significant differences were noted for the VOC concentrations among the facilities. Toluene was the most abundant aromatic hydrocarbon detected in all the air samples, with a narrow median concentration range of 2.17–3.07 μg/m3. 2-(2-Methoxyethoxy)ethanol never reported in prior research was detected in only one facility in this study, with the median (range) concentration of 0.83 (

The current study was designed to address gaps in the existing literature by examining the role of discrimination and familism values as predictors of multiple forms of prosocial behaviors across time in a sample of recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents. Participants were 302 recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents (53.3% male; average age 14.51 years, range = 13-17). Data were collected from adolescents in two U.S. cities: Los Angeles (n = 150) and Miami (n = 152). Adolescents completed measures of their own discrimination experiences, familism values, and tendency to engage in six forms of prosocial behaviors. Results indicated generally positive links between familism values and prosocial behaviors. Discrimination also positively predicted public prosocial behaviors and negatively predicted altruistic prosocial behaviors. We discuss the development of cultural processes and perceptions of discrimination experiences, and how these factors predict helping behaviors among immigrant adolescents.

The goal of the current study was to examine the role of neighborhood risk and maternal and paternal involvement on multiple forms of prosocial behaviors among recent immigrant US Latino/a adolescents. Additionally, we examined the interactions between parental involvement and neighborhood risk in order to test protective effects of mothers' and fathers' involvement. Participants were 302 adolescents (53.3% male, M[subscript age] = 14.51 years, range = 13-17) and their primary caregiver. Data were collected from adolescents in two US cities: Los Angeles (n = 150) and Miami (n = 152). The results demonstrated that maternal involvement was positively associated with emotional, dire, compliant, and anonymous prosocial behaviors. Paternal involvement was positively associated with emotional prosocial behaviors, but this result became non-significant when maternal involvement was also included in the model. While there were no direct links between neighborhood risk and prosocial behaviors, compliant helping increased only when neighborhood risk increased and paternal involvement decreased. Discussion focuses on the role of multiple influences in shaping prosocial behaviors among immigrant youth, with a focus on parental involvement.

The current study examined COVID-19 pandemic racial attitudes in out-group empathy and out-group prosocial behaviors. Participants included 467 young adults who completed measures of their racial attitudes during the pandemic, out-group perspective taking and empathic concern, and out-group prosocial behaviors. Results demonstrated that pandemic-related racial attitudes were significantly, positively associated with out-group perspective taking and out-group empathic concern, which both positively predicted multiple forms of out-group prosocial behaviors, including emotional, dire, compliant, and anonymous prosocial behaviors. These findings highlight the important role of perspective taking and empathic concern toward individuals outside one's own ethnic group in explaining how racial attitudes during the pandemic were associated with helping behaviors. Discussion focuses on how color-conscious attitudes during an unprecedented U.S. pandemic crisis might be one avenue for promoting prosociality and harmony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the links among maternal warmth and adolescents' empathic concern, moral conviction and prosocial behaviors. Participants were 311 adolescents from a low-income community (M age = 16.10 years; range = 14-19 years; 58.7% girls; 82.7% white; 13.6% Latinx). The results demonstrated that maternal warmth was positively associated with adolescents' empathic concern and moral conviction. Empathic concern was positively associated with three common forms of prosocial behaviors, and moral conviction was positively associated with four types of prosocial behaviors. Empathic concern and moral conviction also interacted to predict selfishly and selflessly motivated prosocial behaviors. Discussion will focus on the role of maternal warmth in fostering sociomoral tendencies.

Researchers have demonstrated mixed associations between acculturative stress and prosocial behaviors (actions intended to benefit others) among Latino/a adolescents and emerging adults. The current study aimed to examine the relations between acculturative stress and Latino/a young adults' prosocial behaviors via familism values and emotion reappraisal. Participants were 1,527 Latino/a college students (M age = 20.35 years, SD = 3.88; 75.2% women) from universities across the United States. The results demonstrated direct and indirect links between acculturative stress and prosocial behaviors. Specifically, acculturative stress was positively related to familism values, which in turn were positively associated with multiple forms of prosocial behaviors. Additionally, emotion reappraisal was positively associated with specific forms of prosocial behaviors. There was also evidence that familism and emotion reappraisals moderated the associations between acculturative stress and specific forms of prosocial behaviors. Discussion focuses on the interplay of culture-related and emotion-regulation processes associated with Latino/a young adults' positive social outcomes.

Children are among the most vulnerable to certain air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds. Analysis of indoor air has been analytically challenging and costly. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop and validate a sensitive analytical method for assessing the exposure of children to volatile organic compounds at child care centers and (2) characterize the indoor concentrations of target volatile organic compounds in classrooms at child care centers. The volatile organic compounds were sampled by using thermal desorption samplers and the concentrations of the volatile organic compounds were determined by a thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. Among the 73 target indoor volatile organic compounds, 47 were identified and quantified in the air samples collected from the selected child care center. The limits of detection and limits of quantitation ranged from 0.001 to 0.123 μg m-3, and 0.002 to 0.406 μg m-3, respectively. The correlation coefficients (R2) of the calibration were between 0.982 and 0.999. The mean recoveries of the analytes ranged from 87% to 112%. The precision expressed as the coefficient of variation was between 0.6% and 16.2%. The volatile organic compounds identified in our pilot study include a wide range of potential toxic chemicals and endocrine disruptors, such as the ingredients in dry cleaning agents (e.g., tetrachloroethylene), surfactants (e.g., butoxyethanol), and personal care products (e.g., homosalate). Due to the portability, affordability, and flexibility, the developed sampling and analytical method has several advantages over conventional techniques for large-scale multi-position air quality monitoring studies at child care centers.

The socialization of cultural values, ethnic identity, and prosocial behaviors is examined in a sample of 749 Mexican-American adolescents, ages 9-12; M (SD) = 10.42 years (.55); 49% female, their mothers, and fathers at the 5th, 7th, and 10th grades. Parents' familism values positively predicted their ethnic socialization practices. Mothers' ethnic socialization positively predicted adolescents' ethnic identity, which positively predicted adolescents' familism. Familism was associated with several types of prosocial tendencies. Adolescents' material success and personal achievement values were negatively associated with altruistic helping and positively associated with public helping but not their parents' corresponding values. Findings support cultural socialization models, asserting that parents' traditional cultural values influence their socialization practices, youth cultural values, and youth prosocial behaviors.

The present study was designed to examine the direct and indirect relations between acculturative stress and Latinx youth prosocial tendencies. In addition, we considered family conflict, parental support, and parental psychological control as explanatory mechanisms. Participants included 306 (53.8% female, Mage = 15.50, SD =.42; range = 14 to 18) Latinx adolescents and their parents (87.9% mothers). The majority of adolescents were born in the U.S. (n = 206, 68.0%; average time in U.S. = 10 years) and identified as a Mexican heritage group member (n = 248, 81.0%). Findings differed by youth gender and suggest that for boys, parental support (but not psychological control) serves as underlying mechanism in the effects of acculturative stress and family conflict on youth's prosocial behaviors. Contrastingly, for girls, parental support (but not psychological control) serves as underlying mechanism in the negative effects of family conflict (but not acculturative stress) on youth's prosocial behaviors. The findings are discussed in the context of the need for integrative theories that account for cultural, family and gender-related socialization mechanisms to better understand prosocial behaviors among Latinx youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitudinal links between early childhood temperament, maternal sensitivity, and adolescents' adjustment have been proposed and found in several longitudinal studies, but the mechanisms of influence have not been explored. The authors examined the paths from maternal sensitivity and temperament in early childhood to adolescents' prosocial, aggressive, and delinquent behaviors via childhood social behaviors and peer group affiliation. Data at 54 months, Grade 3 (M age = 9.03, SD = 0.31), Grade 6 (M age = 11.95, SD = 0.34), and Grade 9 (M age = 15.57, SD = 0.78) from the NICHD SECCYD longitudinal investigation of 1,364 participants (52% boys) was analyzed. Overall, results yielded evidence that maternal sensitivity and child temperament at 54 months of age predicted prosocial, aggressive, and delinquent outcomes at age 15. Affiliation with peer groups (especially with prosocial peers) and social behaviors in childhood mediated the aforementioned paths for effortful control, but not for maternal sensitivity. Discussion focuses on the implications for understanding the long-term effects of early childhood predictors on behavioral outcomes in adolescence.

The socialization of cultural values, ethnic identity, and prosocial behaviors is examined in a sample of 749 Mexican-American adolescents, ages 9-12; M (SD) = 10.42 years (0.55); 49% female, their mothers, and fathers at the 5th, 7th, and 10th grades. Parents' familism values positively predicted their ethnic socialization practices. Mothers' ethnic socialization positively predicted adolescents' ethnic identity, which positively predicted adolescents' familism. Familism was associated with several types of prosocial tendencies. Adolescents' material success and personal achievement values were negatively associated with altruistic helping and positively associated with public helping but not their parents' corresponding values. Findings support cultural socialization models, asserting that parents' traditional cultural values influence their socialization practices, youth cultural values, and youth prosocial behaviors.

The goal of the current study was to examine ethnic socialization as a moderator in the links between discrimination and two forms of prosocial behaviors (i.e., actions intended to benefit others) in order to better understand the role of socialization in protecting young adults from discrimination experiences. Participants were 1,527 Latinx college students (M age = 20.35 years, SD = 3.88; 75.2% women) who completed measures of their perceptions of discrimination, family ethnic socialization experiences, and their tendencies to engage in selflessly (altruistic) versus selfishly (public) motivated prosocial behaviors. The results demonstrated that discrimination was positively associated with altruistic prosocial behaviors but was not associated with public prosocial behaviors. Ethnic socialization was positively associated with public prosocial behaviors and negatively associated with altruistic prosocial behaviors. Additionally, ethnic socialization moderated the link between discrimination and both altruistic and public prosocial behaviors. The results highlight the important role of discrimination in young adults' prosocial behaviors, while also demonstrating ethnic socialization as a protective factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For researchers interested in how pedagogy within schools can be used as a catalyst for adolescent moral development, investigating practitioner-based studies of classroom practices that support the growth of prosocial behaviors is crucial. This paper delineates a qualitative study conducted in an ethnically diverse high school language arts classroom where texts were being utilized to promote moral development across multiple domains. Authors describe how the critical reading and discussion of the comic Yummy led students to express emotional responses to the text centered in feelings of empathy, gratitude, and community awareness. Findings suggest that these specific emotional reactions demonstrate potential for critical, social consciousness and the development of empathic and prosocial behaviors. Fundamentally, this paper seeks to enrich scholarship in the field of adolescent moral development by arguing that pedagogy within schools can be utilized to promote emotions and cognitions that lead to community action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study examined the moderating roles of language use and gender in the relations between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing behaviour problems in 242 preschool children (48% girls) enrolled in Head Start centres. Teachers and parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½-5. Mothers completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Results indicated the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing problems (as reported by mothers but not teachers) varied by language use, such that higher maternal depressive symptoms predicted internalizing problems for children who spoke Spanish as primary language, but not for English-speaking children. Gender did not play a role in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and internalizing problems. The importance of supporting Spanish-speaking children and families was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]