title: An integrative review of ethnic and cultural variation in socialization and children's self-regulation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the evidence for cross-cultural variation in socialization and children's normative self-regulation, based on a contextual-developmental perspective.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Nurses and healthcare workers in multi-cultural societies must understand diversity in socializing influences (including parenting) and in children's behaviour. A contextual-developmental perspective implies that normative cultural and ethnic values will influence socializing processes and behaviour, which in turn will influence children's self-regulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Integrative review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were located using five major search engines from 1990-2011. Domains of a contextual-developmental perspective and a comprehensive definition of self-regulation assisted the generation of search terms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Selected studies compared at least two ethnic or cultural groups and addressed contextual-developmental domains: (1) culturally specific social values, beliefs, or attitudes; (2) socializing behaviours; and (3) children's normative self-regulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven studies about children's self-regulation were found to have data consistent with a contextual-developmental perspective. Studies used descriptive correlational or comparative designs with primarily convenience sampling; eight confirmed stated hypotheses, three were exploratory. Findings across studies evidenced coherent patterns of sociocultural influence on children's attention, compliance, delay of gratification, effortful control and executive function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A contextual-developmental perspective provided a useful perspective to examine normative differences in values, socializing behaviours and children's self-regulation. This perspective and these findings are expected to guide future research, to assist nurses and healthcare providers to understand diversity in parenting and children's behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, School of Nursing, Portland, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: LeCuyer
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D012945:Social Values / Q000208:ethnology*; D012951:Socialization; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: advanced practice; child behaviour; child nursing; cultural issues; ethnicity; literature review; multicultural issues; nursing; parent-child interaction; parenting; self-regulation; socialization