title: Measuring emotion socialization in schools.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding how school personnel can best support students' development of communication skills around feelings is critical to long-term health outcomes. The measurement of emotion socialization in schools facilitates future research in this area; we review existing measures of emotion socialization to assess their applicability to school-based health studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A content analysis of four emotion socialization measures was conducted. Inclusion criteria included: high frequency of use in prior research, established documentation of validity and reliability, and sufficient description of measurement procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four dimensions emerged as particularly salient to a measure's future relevance and applicability to school-based health studies: (1) methods of measurement; (2) mode and agent of socialization; (3) type of emotion; and (4) structure versus function of socializing behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future measurement strategies should address (1) the structures of emotion socializing processes; (2) diverse socializing agents such as teachers, peers, and administrators; (3) the intended functions of such processes; (4) student perceptions of and responses to such processes; and (5) the complex interactions of these factors across contexts. Strategies attending to these components will permit future studies of school-based emotion socializing processes to determine how they enhance health and reduce health risks.
authors.affiliation: Researcher, Teaching Fellow, (christyg@pitt.edu), Psychology in Education Department, University of Pittsburgh, WWPH, 230 S. Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
authors.forename: Christy G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Horner
authors.forename: Tanner L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wallace
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012951:Socialization; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Child and adolescent health; emotional health; growth and development