Top

Gepubliceerd in:

04-01-2022 | Original Paper

What Parents and Children Say When Talking about Children’s Gratitude: A Thematic Analysis

Auteurs: Allegra J. Midgette, Jennifer L. Coffman, Andrea M. Hussong

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies | Uitgave 5/2022

Abstract

Parent-child conversations are a widely recognized socializing mechanism, linked to children’s developing moral agency, empathy, and emotional competence. Similarly, parent-child conversations about gratitude have been linked to growth in children’s gratitude. However, the messages that parents and children exchange in conversations about children’s gratitude have yet to be investigated in depth. In the current study, we investigate the types of events that parents discuss with their children during times when they saw displays of children’s gratitude and events when the children missed the opportunity to display gratitude, along with the messages that parents and children share during these conversations. The study involved a thematic analysis of the gratitude conversations of 43 parent-child dyads (88% mothers, 77% European American, 51% boys, child M_age = 10.62, SD = 1.15) living in the United States. Gratitude and missed opportunity events primarily involved situations in which the child had the opportunity to attend an event or to receive a material gift, food, or assistance. Three themes characterized parent and child messages. First, parents suggested that being happy was a sign of being grateful, a way to make others happy, and the goal of benefactors’ behavior. Second, parents suggested that children should focus on what they receive rather than on what they did not receive. Finally, children conveyed that they could not always be grateful, but that in several cases they were able to both feel and display their excitement and gratitude. In particular, children reported feeling grateful when they received something they thought was special or enjoyable, unique or unexpected, that they knew would make their parent happy or that they felt lucky to have since others did not have it. Together these findings suggest the importance of future research investigating how children and parents coordinate and prioritize the various elements of gratitude moments in deciding how to be grateful and to socialize children’s gratitude.

vorige artikel Associations among African American Parents’ Beliefs, Involvement, and Measures of School Readiness

volgende artikel Parental Discipline, Child Inhibitory Control and Prosocial Behaviors: The Indirect Relations via Child Sympathy

Algoe, S. B., Haidt, J., & Gable, S. L. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion, 8(3), 425–429.CrossRef

Baumgarten-Tramer, F. (1938). “Gratefulness” in children and young people. The Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology, 53(1), 53–66.CrossRef

Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Thematic analysis: Coding as a process for transforming qualitative information. Sage.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.CrossRef

Dickens, L. R. (2019). Gratitude interventions: meta-analytic support for numerous personal benefits, with caveats. In L.E.Van Zyl & S.Sr. Rothmann (Eds.), Positive psychological intervention design and protocols for multi-cultural contexts (pp. 127–147). Springer International Publishing.

Eisenberg, N., Cumberland, A., & Spinrad, T. L. (1998). Parental socialization of emotion. Psychological Inquiry, 9(4), 241–273. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0904_1.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Fivush, R., & Haden, C. A. (Eds.). (2003). Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self: Developmental and cultural perspectives. Psychology Press.

Fivush, R., Haden, C. A., & Reese, E. (2006). Elaborating on elaborations: Role of maternal reminiscing style in cognitive and socioemotional development. Child Development, 77(6), 1568–1588. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00960.x.CrossRefPubMed

Fivush, R., Merrill, N., & Marin, K. (2014). Voice and power: Constructing moral agency through personal and intergenerational narratives. In C. Wainryb & H. E. Recchia (Eds.). Talking about right and wrong: Parent-child conversations as contexts for moral development (pp. 270–297). Cambridge University Press.

Fivush, R. (2019). Sociocultural developmental approaches to autobiographical memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 33(4), 489–497. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3512.CrossRef

Froh, J. J., Sefick, W. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.005.CrossRefPubMed

Froh, J. J., Yurkewicz, C., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Gratitude and subjective well-being in early adolescence: Examining gender differences. Journal of Adolescence, 32(3), 633–650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.06.006.CrossRefPubMed

Gleason, J. B., & Weintraub, S. (1976). The acquisition of routines in child language. Language in Society, 5(2), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047404500006977.CrossRef

Gottlieb, R., & Froh, J. (2019). Gratitude and happiness in adolescents: A qualitative analysis. In Silton, N. R. (Ed.), Scientific concepts behind happiness, kindness, and empathy in contemporary society (pp. 1–19). IGI Global.

Haden, C. A. (1998). Reminiscing with different children: Relating maternal stylistic consistency and sibling similarity in talk about the past. Developmental Psychology, 34(1), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.34.1.99.CrossRefPubMed

Halberstadt, A. G., Langley, H. A., Hussong, A. M., Rothenberg, W. A., Coffman, J. L., Mokrova, I., & Costanzo, P. R. (2016). Parents’ understanding of gratitude in children: A thematic analysis. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 36, 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.01.014.CrossRef

Hersh, M. A., & Hussong, A. M. (2009). The association between observed parental emotion socialization and adolescent self-medication. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(4), 493–506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9291-z.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Hoy, B. D., Suldo, S. M., & Mendez, L. R. (2013). Links between parents’ and children’s levels of gratitude, life satisfaction, and hope. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(4), 1343–1361.CrossRef

Hussong, A. M., Langley, H. A., Coffman, J. L., Halberstadt, A. G., & Costanzo, P. R. (2018). Parent socialization of children’s gratitude. In J. Tudge & L. Freitas (Eds.), Developing gratitude (pp. 199–219). Cambridge University Press.

Hussong, A. M., Coffman, J. L., & Thomas, T. E. (2019a). Gratitude conversations: An experimental trial of an online parenting tool. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(2), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1610484.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Hussong, A. M., Langley, H. A., Rothenberg, W. A., Coffman, J. L., Halberstadt, A. G., Costanzo, P. R., & Mokrova, I. (2019b). Raising grateful children one day at a time. Applied Developmental Science, 23(4), 371–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1441713.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Hussong, A. M., Langley, H. A., Thomas, T. E., Coffman, J. L., Halberstadt, A. G., Costanzo, P. R., & Rothenberg, W. A. (2019c). Measuring gratitude in children. Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(5), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1497692.CrossRef

Lagattuta, K. H., & Wellman, H. M. (2002). Differences in early parent-child conversations about negative versus positive emotions: implications for the development of psychological understanding. Developmental Psychology, 38(4), 564–580. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.38.4.564.CrossRefPubMed

Laible, D., & Thompson, R. (2000). Mother-child discourse, attachment security, shared positive affect, and early conscience development. Child Development, 71(5), 1424–1440. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00237.CrossRefPubMed

Laible, D. J. (2004a). Mother-child discourse in two contexts: Links with child temperament, attachment security, and socioemotional competence. Developmental Psychology, 40(6), 979–992. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.40.6.979.CrossRefPubMed

Laible, D. J. (2004b). Mother-child discourse surrounding a child’s past behavior at 30 months: Links to emotional understanding and early conscience development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50(2), 159–180. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.2004.0013.CrossRef

Laible, D., & Panfile, T. (2009). Mother-child reminiscing in the context of secure attachment relationships. In J. Quas & R. Fivush (Eds.), Emotion and memory in development: Biological, cognitive, and social considerations (pp. 166–195). Oxford University Press.

Laible, D., Panfile Murphy, T., & Augustine, M. (2013). Constructing emotional and relational understanding: The role of mother–child reminiscing about negatively valenced events. Social Development, 22(2), 300–318. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12022.CrossRef

Laible, D. J., Karahuta, E., Van Norden, C., Interra, V., & Stout, W. (2019). The socialization of children’s moral understanding in the context of everyday discourse. In D. J. Laible, G. Carlo, & L. M. Padilla-Walker (Eds.), The oxford handbook of parenting and moral development (pp. 287–300). Oxford Library of Psychology.

Laible, D., & Murphy, T. (2014). Constructing moral, emotional, and relational understanding in the context of mother-child reminiscing. In Weinraub, C. & Recchia, H. (Eds), Talking about right and wrong: Parent-child conversations as contexts for moral development (pp. 98–122). New York: Cambridge University.

Langley H. A., Coffman, J. L., & Hussong, A. M. (2021). The socialization of gratitude: How parent-child conversations impact children’s memory for gratitude-related events. In L. Baker-Ward, D. Bjorklund, & J. L. Coffman (Eds.), The development of children’s memory: The scientific contributions of Peter A. Ornstein (pp 203–222). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press

Layous, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Benefits, mechanisms, and new directions for teaching gratitude to children. School Psychology Review, 43(2), 153–159.CrossRef

Ma, L. K., Tunney, R. J., & Ferguson, E. (2017). Does gratitude enhance prosociality?: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 143(6), 601 https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000103.CrossRefPubMed

McCullough, M. E., Kimeldorf, M. B., & Cohen, A. D. (2008). An adaptation for altruism: The social causes, social effects, and social evolution of gratitude. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(4), 281–285.CrossRef

McCullough, M. E., Kilpatrick, S., Emmons, R. A., & Larson, D. (2001). Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 127(2), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249.CrossRefPubMed

Mendoça, S. E., Merçon-Vargas, E. A., Payir, A., & Tudge, J. R. (2018). The development of gratitude in seven societies: Cross-cultural highlights. Cross-Cultural Research, 52(1), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397117737245.CrossRef

Merçon-Vargas, E. A., Poelker, K. E., & Tudge, J. R. (2018). The development of the virtue of gratitude: Theoretical foundations and cross-cultural issues. Cross-Cultural Research, 52(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397117736517.CrossRef

Nelson, K., & Fivush, R. (2019). The development of autobiographical memory, autobiographical narratives, and autobiographical consciousness. Psychological Reports, 123(1), 71–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294119852574.CrossRefPubMed

Poelker, K. E., Gibbons, J. L., Hughes, H. M., & Powlishta, K. K. (2016). Feeling grateful and envious: Adolescents' narratives of social emotions in identity and social development. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 21(3), 289–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2015.1067895.CrossRef

Poelker, K. E., Gibbons, J. L., Maxwell, C. A., & Elizondo-Quintanilla, I. L. (2017). Envy, gratitude, and well-being among Guatemalan adolescents with scarce economic resources. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 6(4), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/ipp0000076.

Recchia, H. E., Wainryb, C., Bourne, S., & Pasupathi, M. (2014). The construction of moral agency in mother-child conversations about helping and hurting across childhood and adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 50(1), 34–44. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033492.CrossRefPubMed

Reese, E., Haden, C. A., & Fivush, R. (1993). Mother-child conversations about the past: Relationships of style and memory over time. Cognitive Development, 8(4), 403–430. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0885-2014(05)80002-4.CrossRef

Reese, E., & Cleveland, E. S. (2006). Mother-child reminiscing and children’s understanding of mind. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52(1), 17–43. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.2006.0007.CrossRef

Reese, E., Bird, A., & Tripp, G. (2007). Children’s self‐esteem and moral self: Links to parent–child conversations regarding emotion. Social Development, 16(3), 460–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2007.00393.x.CrossRef

Rothenberg, W. A., Hussong, A. M., Langley, H. A., Egerton, G. A., Halberstadt, A. G., Coffman, J. L., & Costanzo, P. R. (2017). Grateful parents raising grateful children: Niche selection and the socialization of child gratitude. Applied Developmental Science, 21(2), 106–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2016.1175945.CrossRefPubMed

Tesser, A., Gatewood, R., & Driver, M. (1968). Some determinants of gratitude. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9(3), 233.CrossRef

Vygotsy, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Wainrb, C., & Recchia, H. E. (Eds.). (2014). Talking about right and wrong: Parent-child conversations as contexts for moral development. Cambridge University Press.

Waldron, V. R., Kloeber, D., Goman, C., Piemonte, N., & Danaher, J. (2014). How parents communicate right and wrong: A study of memorable moral messages recalled by emerging adults. Journal of Family Communication, 14(4), 374–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2014.946032.CrossRef

Wang, Q., & Fivush, R. (2005). Mother–child conversations of emotionally salient events: exploring the functions of emotional reminiscing in European‐American and Chinese families. Social Development, 14(3), 473–495. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2005.00312.x.CrossRef

Wang, D., Wang, Y. C., & Tudge, J. R. H. (2015). Expressions of gratitude in children and adolescents: Insights from China and the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 46, 10–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022115594140.CrossRef

Titel: What Parents and Children Say When Talking about Children’s Gratitude: A Thematic Analysis
Auteurs: Allegra J. Midgette
Jennifer L. Coffman
Andrea M. Hussong
Publicatiedatum: 04-01-2022
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies / Uitgave 5/2022
Print ISSN: 1062-1024
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02222-9

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 5/2022

Bullying and Cyberbullying Offending Among US Youth: The Influence of Six Parenting Dimensions

Reciprocal Relationships between Trajectories of Loneliness and Screen Media Use during Adolescence

Social Functioning Mediates the Relation Between Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation Among Youth

Configuration of Parent-Reported and Adolescent-Perceived Career-Related Parenting Practice and Adolescents’ Career Development: A Person-Centered, Longitudinal Analysis of Chinese Parent–Adolescent Dyads

Associations among African American Parents’ Beliefs, Involvement, and Measures of School Readiness

Associations Between Grandparent Involvement and Psychological Difficulties in Adolescents Facing Family Adversity