How do Multiracial parents socialize their children about race and ethnicity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15411679 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leigh S Wilton (0000-0001-9029-4505, Department of Psychology, corresponding author), Erica H Wojcik (0000-0002-5796-6661, Department of Psychology), Lexi Weirdsma (Department of Psychology), Gabriella Modesti (Brown University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 261-307 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Self and Identity (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1529-8868 • E-ISSN: 1529-8876 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15298868.2026.2621081 |
| OpenAlex | W7126415386 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 69 |
A person’s race and ethnicity influences how they socialize their children about such topics. Yet little is known about how the growing population of Multiracial adults, who are members of multiple racial/ethnic groups, socialize their children about their ethnic/racial backgrounds. In two preregistered online studies, U.S. parents (S1: MAge = 37.85; 52.85% female; S2: MAge = 37.85; 84.21% female) responded to open-ended questions about the interactions they have/intend to have with their 3- to 18-year-old children about racial/ethnic identities. In Study 1, Multiracial parents’ (n = 96) ethnic/racial socialization practices were more similar to monoracial parents of color (n = 99) than White parents (n = 138). However, Multiracial parents also showed distinguishing ethnic/racial socialization patterns: they expressed a greater number of coded socialization themes overall, and reported ethnic/racial identity multiplicity as a joy, significantly more than monoracial parents. There was also some evidence that the frequency with which Multiracial parents are perceived as racial/ethnic minority shapes their race/ethnic socialization practices. In Study 2, 209 new Multiracial parents reported their socialization practices in response to two different racial identity frames, overall replicating Study 1 findings. Our findings highlight the importance of studying Multiracial parents specifically when exploring ethnic/racial socialization, helping inform fully inclusive models of ethnic/racial socialization.
Affect (linguistics · Class (philosophy · Ethnic group · Prejudice (legal term · Race (biology · Cultural Differences and Values · Race, Genetics, and Society · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
Exploring the Identity Autonomy Perspective (IAP)
Parental ethnic-racial socialization practices and children of color’s psychosocial and behavioral adjustment
In Blind Pursuit of Racial Equality?
Racial/ethnic socialization for White youth
“Mixed” Results
Identity Denied
Thematic Analysis
The Maintenance of the U.S. Racial Hierarchy Through Judgments of Multiracial People Based on Proximity to Whiteness
Testing the effectiveness of the Developing Inclusive Youth program
Other Than the Sum
Multiracial Parents
A review of race socialization within Black families
Familial racial-ethnic socialization of Multiracial American Youth
Investigating How Parental Support Varies Across Racially Diverse Mothers and Fathers in Relation to Emerging Adults’ Multiracial Experiences and Psychological Distress
Learning From Your Children
I am Multiracial
Parents' ethnic-racial socialization practices
Understanding the challenges and opportunities of talking to children about race and racism in child‐facing institutions
The social construction of race
Finally, someone who “gets” me! Multiracial people value others’ accuracy about their race
Cultural socialization as a moderator of friendships and social competence
Socialization of racial ideology by White parents
Confronting Whiteness in Developmental Science
Toward a critical multiracial theory in education
Understanding the complexities of ethnic-racial socialization processes for both minority and majority groups
My Choice, Your Categories
To Disclose or Not to Disclose Biracial Identity
Multiracial Faces
Bias Awareness Predicts Color Conscious Racial Socialization Methods among White Parents
White parents’ racial socialization during a guided discussion predicts declines in white children’s pro-white biases
Exploring whether and how Black and White parents talk with their children about race
Black + White = Not White
Fluid racial presentation
Parental Ethnic-Racial Socialization in Multiracial Mexican Families
A person-centered analysis of ethnic–racial socialization patterns and their identity correlates in multiracial college students
Exploring Multiracial Individuals’ Comfort with Intimate Interracial Relationships
Ethnic/Racial Identity—A Double-Edged Sword? Associations With Discrimination and Psychological Outcomes
Ethnic–Racial Socialization Practices Among Latino Immigrant Families
Psychophysiological Stress Responses to Bicultural and Biracial Identity Denial
What are you?” Multiracial individuals’ responses to racial identification inquiries
Relations Between Colorblind Socialization and Children’s Racial Bias
How Policies Can Address Multiracial Stigma
Racial Self-Categorization in Adolescence
Multiple racial identities as sources of psychological resilience
Not Excluded From Analyses
Ethnic‐Racial Socialization and Its Correlates in Families of Black–White Biracial Children
Racial Socialization Messages in White Parents' Discussions of Current Events Involving Racism With Their Adolescents
When Race Becomes Even More Complex
Differential Effects of Racial Socialization Messages for African American Adolescents
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Evidence for hypodescent and racial hierarchy in the categorization and perception of biracial individuals
Race as biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real
The Generational Locus of Multiraciality and Its Implications for Racial Self-Identification
Parental ethnic-racial socialization practices and the construction of children of color's ethnic-racial identity
Perspectives and Research on the Positive and Negative Implications of Having Multiple Racial Identities
The Stigma of Privilege
Will "Multiracial" Survive to the Next Generation
From Kindness and Diversity to Justice and Action
Color Blind or Color Conscious? White American Mothers' Approaches to Racial Socialization
Negotiating Boundaries and Bonds
White families and race
The friendship networks of multiracial adolescents
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |