TY - JOUR
T1 - Parental competitive victimhood and interethnic discrimination among their children
T2 - The mediating role of ethnic socialization and symbolic threat to the in-group
AU - Štambuk, Marina
AU - Taylor, Laura K.
AU - Löw, Ajana
AU - Čorkalo Biruški, Dinka
AU - Merrilees, Christine E.
AU - Ajduković, Dean
AU - Cummings, E. Mark
PY - 2020/1/1
Y1 - 2020/1/1
N2 - Links between competitive victimhood and discrimination are well documented. However, the mechanisms how victimhood beliefs remain relevant for decades and how conflict survivors can shape attitudes and behaviours of the post-conflict generations are little understood. Following the Transgenerational Transmission Hypothesis and the Integrated Threat Theory, we propose that the link between parental competitive victimhood and discrimination among their children is mediated through family ethnic socialization and symbolic threat to the in-group. Participants were families that included youth (N = 227) and their parents (172 mothers, 150 fathers) in Vukovar, Croatia. A multiple group, chain mediation model was conducted with parental competitive victimhood as the predictor; youth ethnic socialization and symbolic threat as sequential mediators; and youth tendency to discriminate against the outgroup and perceived ethnic in-group discrimination as outcomes. The findings revealed significant indirect effects of the competitive victimhood on both outcomes, via the proposed mediators. The only difference in the model between majority Croats and minority Serbs was the path from symbolic threat to tendency to discriminate, which was positive and significant for both groups, but stronger among Croats. The findings imply that interventions in post-conflict settings need to address family ethnic socialization processes in addition to directly working with youth.
AB - Links between competitive victimhood and discrimination are well documented. However, the mechanisms how victimhood beliefs remain relevant for decades and how conflict survivors can shape attitudes and behaviours of the post-conflict generations are little understood. Following the Transgenerational Transmission Hypothesis and the Integrated Threat Theory, we propose that the link between parental competitive victimhood and discrimination among their children is mediated through family ethnic socialization and symbolic threat to the in-group. Participants were families that included youth (N = 227) and their parents (172 mothers, 150 fathers) in Vukovar, Croatia. A multiple group, chain mediation model was conducted with parental competitive victimhood as the predictor; youth ethnic socialization and symbolic threat as sequential mediators; and youth tendency to discriminate against the outgroup and perceived ethnic in-group discrimination as outcomes. The findings revealed significant indirect effects of the competitive victimhood on both outcomes, via the proposed mediators. The only difference in the model between majority Croats and minority Serbs was the path from symbolic threat to tendency to discriminate, which was positive and significant for both groups, but stronger among Croats. The findings imply that interventions in post-conflict settings need to address family ethnic socialization processes in addition to directly working with youth.
KW - competitive victimhood
KW - ethnic socialization
KW - symbolic threat
KW - out-group discrimination
KW - perceived ethnic in-group discrimination
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85069703367&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/bjso.12321
DO - 10.1111/bjso.12321
M3 - Article
C2 - 30883836
AN - SCOPUS:85069703367
SN - 0144-6665
VL - 59
SP - 87
EP - 110
JO - British Journal of Social Psychology
JF - British Journal of Social Psychology
IS - 1
ER -