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Although Chinese parents are seen as employing guilt and shame induction to socialize children's culturally appropriate behavior, research has focused primarily on Chinese parents' use of these inductions and their links with child adjustment rather than on children's evaluations of them. Furthermore, this research typically does not examine variations in children's appraisals based on the type of behavior being socialized. The present study addressed these gaps in the literature by examining 206 Hong Kong Chinese children's and early adolescents' (Ms = 9.76, 13.35 years, SDs = 0.78, 0.54; 50% and 61% female, respectively) appraisals of maternal guilt induction (act- vs. parent-focused) and shame induction (social comparison vs. denigration) following a hypothetical moral and academic transgression. Overall, act-focused guilt induction was evaluated as more appropriate, respectful, effective, and reflective of mothers' love and concern than parent-focused guilting, and in turn, social comparison shaming, and then denigration and more so overall for the moral than the academic transgression. Early adolescents judged act-focused guilting for the moral transgression as more effective and eliciting more positive feelings than did children. Although culturally valued, social comparison shame (and also denigration) were judged as less appropriate, less effective, as reflecting less maternal love and concern, and as eliciting less positive feelings (but only for social comparison shaming in response to lower-than-expected academic performance) by early adolescents as compared to younger peers, suggesting that youth become more critical of these culturally appropriate practices in the transition to adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents with internalizing problems are more prone to feelings of guilt and shame, experience more guilt-induction, and report more negative parenting, but little is known about the way these processes are associated nor the extent to which they occur within real-time parent-adolescent interactions. The current study sought to clarify these links by investigating whether negatively biased perceptions of maternal communication mediate links between adolescent internalizing symptoms and their feelings of guilt, shame, and guilt-induction during real-time mother-adolescent discussions. One hundred twenty-three mother-adolescent dyads participated in the study. These dyads were moderately diverse in both race/ethnicity (53% White, 29% Black, 12% Hispanic) and family income (26% earned less than $30,000/year, 22% earned more than $100,000/year) and included adolescents who ranged in age from 12 to 17 (Mage = 13.99) and were approximately half female (54%). Mothers and adolescents engaged in lab discussions about issues of conflict and guilt and rated mothers' positive and negative communication during the tasks; observers rated these same behaviors. Adolescents also reported on their general internalizing symptoms prior to the discussions and feelings of guilt, shame, and experienced guilt induction following each discussion task. Structural equation models, parceling out shared and unique perceptions of maternal communication behaviors, showed that adolescents with more internalizing symptoms reported greater feelings of shame and perceived maternal guilt-induction following the discussion, and that these associations were mediated by adolescents' unique perceptions of more maternal negativity. These findings highlight the potential role of cognitive biases in perpetuating established associations among adolescent internalizing symptoms, shame, and parental guilt-induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicopter parenting (HP) is associated with poorer adjustment and worse relationships with parents among emerging adults, but these associations may depend on interpretations of HP and the family context in which it occurs. This study examined within-family patterns of mothers' and fathers' HP behavior and youth felt overcontrol, and their associated adjustment, relational, and demographic correlates. Participants were 282 U.S. college undergraduates (Mage = 19.87 years, SD = 1.27, 71% female, 52% White, 25% Asian). Using surveys from a single time-point, students reported on HP and felt overcontrol by mothers and fathers and their own adjustment and relationship quality with each parent. Latent profile analysis revealed four profiles: Autonomous (low HP, low felt overcontrol—71%), Mother Overcontrol (high mother HP and felt overcontrol—11%), Father Overcontrol (high father HP and felt overcontrol—6%), and HP Acceptors (high HP, low felt overcontrol—12%). Internalizing problems and relationships with parents were worst among students in the overcontrolled profiles. HP Acceptors were highest in parental warmth and intimate disclosure with parents but no better than overcontrolled students on internalizing symptoms. Academic performance did not differ among profiles, but academic motivation was highest among the Mother Overcontrol group. Results show that families differ in relative levels of HP among mothers and fathers and that these patterns may impact emerging adults' interpretations of HP. In turn, emerging adults' interpretations of HP as overcontrol have important implications for their relationships with parents but less so for psychological adjustment. Highlights: There are distinct profiles of helicopter parenting by mothers and fathers and young adult's felt overcontrol. If only one parent engages in helicopter parenting, it is more often mothers, and accompanied by felt overcontrol. Some young adults experience helicopter parenting from both parents but do not feel overcontrolled. Felt overcontrol, not HP, differentiates profiles with worse parent-child relationships. Youth who experience and feel overcontrolled by HP show the worst adjustment; youth who experience neither are best adjusted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bullying situations, adolescent bystanders may help bullied others, just stand by, or join in the antisocial behavior. Current studies have yet to fully examine the moral and social factors motivating these varied responses to bullying encounters. Extending from pertinent developmental theories, the present study investigated the relative contributions of moral identity (i.e., viewing moral qualities as central to the self), moral judgment, and social self-efficacy to adolescents' bystander behaviors vis-à-vis bullies. Also investigated were the interactions among these variables. Three hundred and thirty-seven adolescents (M age = 13 years, 56.1% female) who self-identified as Caucasian (90.2%), Hispanic-American (2.1%), Asian–American (0.9%), African–American (3.9%), or Other/Unknown (2.9%) participated in the study. Students completed questionnaires assessing moral identity, moral judgment, social self-efficacy, and how they would respond if they observed a peer being bullied. Moral identity predicted more prosocial action, particularly for adolescents high in social self-efficacy. Moral identity related positively to moral judgment, and both predicted less antisocial (joining in) behavior. Interestingly, moral judgment maturity primarily diminished antisocial behavior when moral identity was relatively low. Social self-efficacy predicted less passive bystanding. Overall, moral identity strongly relates to defending behavior, and—as does moral judgment maturity—predicts less antisocial behavior among bystanders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]