Maternal Attitudes Toward Child Interethnic Relations in the Netherlands

Facilitating Intergroup Contact Effects

Bibliographic Data

ID2936268
AuthorsYmke De Bruijn (0000-0001-8921-4547, Leiden University College, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University, The Hague, The Netherlands, corresponding author), Rosanneke A G Emmen (0000-0002-9888-3037, Leiden University College, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University, The Hague, The Netherlands), Judi Mesman (0000-0001-7506-9094, Leiden University College, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University, The Hague, The Netherlands)
Year2022
Volume39
Issue8
Pages2316-2339
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/02654075221077235
OpenAlexW4220990113
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited62

Ethnic diversity and interethnic contact are increasing in Europe. Intergroup contact theory suggests interethnic contact to improve interethnic attitudes, but for young children, parental attitudes toward child interethnic relations might be an important factor determining whether they are exposed to these potentially positive contact effects. This study therefore examined maternal attitudes toward child contact with different ethnic outgroups among 251 mothers (137 White Dutch, 69 Turkish-Dutch, and 45 Afro-Dutch) of a 6- to 10-year-old child ( M = 7.51, SD = 0.98). Furthermore, associations between maternal attitudes toward child interethnic relations and child outgroup rejection were examined, as well as mediation effects of child actual outgroup contact. Neutral to positive maternal attitudes toward child interethnic relations were found, with relatively more negative attitudes among Turkish-Dutch than White Dutch and Afro-Dutch mothers, and toward child relations with Muslims as compared to another outgroup among White Dutch and Afro-Dutch mothers. Furthermore, results did not indicate that maternal attitudes were related to child actual outgroup contact or child outgroup prejudice and no support for the intergroup contact theory was found. These results suggest that intergroup contact theory does not easily apply, highlighting the need for more research on children in various populations and contexts using different measures and informants. Patterns from the present study suggest that most improvement in terms of maternal attitudes fostering child interethnic relations can be made in the interethnic relations including ethnic groups in the Netherlands that predominantly identify as Muslim

Contact hypothesis · Contact theory · Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Ingroups and outgroups · Mediation · Outgroup · Prejudice (legal term · Sociology · Turkish · White (mutation · White British · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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