A scoping review of parent-involved ethnic and racial socialization programs

The study examines the current scope of the empirical literature on parent-involved ethnic and racial socialization programs for U.S. children and adolescents of color and to systematically summarize the content and efficacy of these programs. Seven electronic databases and grey literature were searched for eligible studies through June 2022. Two authors independently conducted screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessments. Extracted data were summarized in tables and narratives. Five randomized controlled trials and three pre-test/post-test design studies were included. The main intervention components included cultural socialization, preparation for bias, and overcoming school-based racial stressors. Interventions produced promising effects on increasing parent-report self-efficacy and behaviors of ethnic and racial socialization, increasing racial stress coping among parents and youth, increasing adolescents’ self-concept, and reducing Latinx parents’ immigration-related stress. Despite this promising initial evidence, there is a lack of strong empirical evidence of the efficacy of parent-involved ethnic and racial socialization programs. More intervention research is needed in this area.