Mapping the well-being of Norwegian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had negative effects on many people's well-being and quality of life. In the present work, we focused on Norwegian mothers with elementary school children, and investigated whether their well-being, stress, and worries (and the relationships between them) changed across the early months of the pandemic. We collected data at two time points in 2020. In June 2020, 231 mothers (mean age = 40.09, SD = 6.22) responded to an online questionnaire in which they were asked to indicate their well-being, stress, and worries before the pandemic, during the lockdown (i.e., March 2020), and currently (i.e., June 2020). Of these 231 mothers, 97 (mean age = 40.58, SD = 5.66) answered the same questionnaire again in November 2020. Mothers' well-being was lower in November 2020 than before the pandemic (retrospectively reported). The age of the youngest child showed the strongest and most consistent relationship with mothers' well-being across all time points. In addition, we found that the stress mothers felt during the national lockdown in March 2020 was strongly associated with their well-being both during the lockdown and in June 2020. Finally, in November 2020, mothers' financial pandemic-related worries were negatively related to their well-being. Implications and suggestions for future research and for how societies can cope with future health-related crises are discussed.

Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation.

Using data from 15 countries, this article investigates whether descriptive and prescriptive gender norms concerning housework and child care (domestic work) changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a total of 8,343 participants (M = 19.95, SD = 1.68) from two comparable student samples suggest that descriptive norms about unpaid domestic work have been affected by the pandemic, with individuals seeing mothers' relative to fathers' share of housework and child care as even larger. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of the pandemic on descriptive norms about child care decreased with countries' increasing levels of gender equality; countries with stronger gender inequality showed a larger difference between pre- and post-pandemic. This study documents a shift in descriptive norms and discusses implications for gender equality-emphasizing the importance of addressing the additional challenges that mothers face during health-related crises.

Why the belief in one's equal rights matters: Self-respect, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation in Western and non-Western countries.

The present research investigated the relationship between self-respect (i.e., a person's belief of possessing the same rights as others) and depressive symptoms. Based on earlier longitudinal findings that self-respect fosters assertiveness and that assertiveness negatively predicts depressive symptoms, we tested these relationships in Western and non-Western countries. Additionally, we explored associations with suicidal ideation. Across seven countries (N = 2408) we found that self-respect and depressive symptoms were negatively correlated. In addition, we found evidence for an indirect path via assertiveness as well as negative correlations with suicidal ideation in countries with available measures. Finally, within-manuscript meta-analyses confirmed the main path between self-respect and depressive symptoms across all seven countries. This research presents the first evidence for the negative association between self-respect (feeling equal to others) and depressive symptoms and highlights new directions for linking self and self-regard to mental health.

Too different to be equal: Lack of public respect is associated with reduced self-respect for stigmatized individuals.

Individuals with physical and mental disabilities can be stigmatized and perceived in terms of their disabilities in the public domain. This is less pervasive in the private domain, because of the presence of individuating information. We argue that disabilities decrease individuals' everyday opportunities to receive basic equality-based respect experiences in the public domain and thus makes it difficult for them to develop a high and secure level of self-respect (i.e., seeing the self as someone who possesses the same rights as others). These hypotheses were tested in a cross-sectional study in Norway with 173 participants (51 males, 117 females, two trans men, and three non-binary persons; Mage = 28.00; SD = 10.33, age range: 19-77 years), of which 60 participants reported having mental or physical disabilities. In line with our hypotheses, we found higher levels of self-respect for individuals without mental or physical disabilities compared to individuals with mental or physical disabilities. In addition, results showed that respect experiences differed depending on the domain. Whereas individuals with and without disabilities did not significantly differ in the respect experiences they reported in the private domain, they did significantly differ in the respect experiences they reported in the public domain. In addition, respect experiences in the public domain mediated the relationship between disability and self-respect. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of the importance of developing high and secure levels of self-respect and in terms of how respect experiences in the public domain can be ensured for everyone.

Social identity threat is related to ethnic minority adolescents' social approach motivation towards classmates via reduced sense of belonging.

The integration of ethnic minority youth can only be successful if they are motivated to establish and maintain social relationships in important institutions such as school. At the same time, worries about negative stereotypes about one's ethnic group can undermine ethnic minority students' motivation to approach others. In the present study, we tested whether social identity threat predicts ethnic minority adolescents' social approach motivation via reduced sense of belonging. We also examined whether multiple social identities (i.e., high endorsement of ethnic and national idenitiy) buffer against the negative effects of social identity threat. In a sample of 426 ethnic minority students from 36 9th -grade classes in Germany, social identity threat was indirectly related to social approach motivation via reduced sense of belonging to the school and class. The interplay of students' ethnic and national identity moderated the relationship of social identity threat and sense of belonging. The relationship was particularly negative for students who endorsed either ethnic or national identity. However, it was less negative for students with integrated multiple social identities and non-significant for students who identified neither with the ethnic nor the national group. Results generalized for social approach motivation towards ethnic majority and minority classmates. These patterns were only found for social approach motivation in face-to-face contact situations, but not in online situations. We discuss these findings in light of the literature on social identity threat and multiple social identities. Practical implications include measures to foster students' sense of belonging and to reduce social identity threat.

Salary and power: How occupational status affects children's occupational aspirations.

In many countries, labor markets are still highly gender segregated, with very few men working in communal occupations such as nursing. Because occupational aspirations start to develop during early childhood, it seems crucial to foster our understanding of which factors affect occupational aspirations during this period. Earlier correlational research showed that the status of occupations seems to be one important factor. Therefore, in the current work, we experimentally tested the effect of two dimensions of status (i.e., salary and power) on children's occupational aspirations and examined its interaction with child gender. We also tested the relationship among gender, self-perceptions, and occupational values. Using a 2 (Salary: high vs. low) × 2 (Power: high vs. low) within-participants design (N = 127 [59 boys and 68 girls], Mage = 9.37 years, SD = 0.50) with child gender as a between-participants factor, we show positive main effects of both salary and power on children's occupational aspirations but no interaction with gender. Correlational analyses show preliminary evidence for the mediating role of agentic self-perceptions in the relationship between gender and occupational values related to status. Thus, we provide evidence for the causal effect of occupational status on children's occupational aspirations but show experimentally that this is independent of child gender. Interestingly, the correlational analyses indicate that gender norms might play a role given that boys in trend reported stronger agentic self-perceptions, which then were associated with a stronger desire to pursue high-status occupations. Implications for early interventions to reduce occupational gender segregation are discussed.

Mothers' Domestic Responsibilities and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Moderating Role of Gender Essentialist Beliefs About Parenthood.

The present work investigates how the increased domestic responsibilities created by the Spring 2020 lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway and gender ideologies relate to the well-being of mothers with elementary school children. In June 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online study including current and retrospective measures with 180 mothers (M age = 39.96 years, SD = 6.11) of elementary school children across Norway. First, in line with earlier research on the strain of the pandemic on parents, and especially mothers, we found that Norwegian mothers' well-being during the lockdown significantly declined compared to before the lockdown (both measured retrospectively). Furthermore, mothers' well-being after the Spring 2020 lockdown did not immediately return to pre-lockdown levels. Finally, we predicted that gender ideologies (i.e., essentialist beliefs about parenthood) would exacerbate the negative impact of increased domestic responsibilities (i.e., childcare and housework) on mothers' well-being (i.e., higher standard-higher stress hypothesis). As predicted, for mothers who more strongly endorsed the belief that mothers are instinctively and innately better caretakers than fathers, perceptions of increased domestic responsibilities were associated with lower well-being post-lockdown. These findings point to the specific challenges mothers face in times of crisis, and the importance of addressing and confronting seemingly benevolent ideologies about motherhood that place additional burdens on women.

The Impact of COVID-19-Induced Changes at Schools on Elementary Students' School Engagement.

In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of schools in many countries. Emerging research documents the negative effects of the pandemic and particularly of the shutdown of schools on children's well-being. The present research extends this research by investigating how structural changes made in schools upon reopening to align with COVID-19 restrictions were related to children's emotional school engagement and subjective well-being. An online questionnaire with elementary school children and their parents conducted in Norway in June 2020 (N = 93 parent-child dyads; 46 boys, 47 girls; mean age children = 9.70 years, SD = 1.81) assessed structural changes in schools and children's coping with these changes, emotional school engagement, subjective well-being, self-reported performance in school, and demographics. Results showed that neither receiving a new teacher nor being assigned to a new (smaller) group were associated with negative outcomes. However, children who did not like their new group showed reduced emotional school engagement and subjective well-being, indicating that specific students particularly suffered from the pandemic-induced restrictions. The relationship between liking one's group and SWB was mediated by emotional school engagement. Applied and theoretical implications are discussed.

The hers and his of prosociality across 10 countries.

Is there a 'more helpful' gender? The present research assessed gender differences in prosocial self-perceptions, prosocial behavioural intentions, and prosocial (transfer) behaviour in same- and other-gender interactions in 10 countries (N = 1,915). The present results showed negligible differences in the degree to which women and men saw themselves as prosocial. However, larger gender differences emerged in regard to prosocial behavioural intentions and prosocial (transfer) behaviours across different help contexts (i.e., same- vs. other-gender interactions). In a hypothetical work scenario, women reported greater prosocial behavioural intentions than men when the recipient of the help was of the same gender. In contrast, when the recipient of the help was of the other gender, men reported greater prosocial behavioural intentions than women. In addition, men transferred more than women to both same- and other-gender interaction partners in a prisoner's dilemma game. Taken together, the present findings suggest that there is no 'more helpful' gender. Instead, gender differences in prosociality are dynamic and contextual. Different theoretical perspectives are taken into consideration in discussing gender differences in the present research.

Girls' perceptions of their mothers at work and home: Warm does not mean weak.

Upper elementary school girls were surveyed about their mothers' and fathers' warmth, competence, and agency at home and how they imagine their parents at work. Mothers' warmth at home was positively correlated with perceived competence and agency both at home and at work. Differences between daughters' perceptions of their mothers and fathers at work are discussed.

Does the Stereotypicality of Mothers' Occupation Influence Children's Communal Occupational Aspirations and Communal Orientation?

Career development is a lifelong process that starts in infancy and is shaped by a number of different factors during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Even though career development is shaped through life, relatively little is known about the predictors of occupational aspirations in childhood. Therefore, in the present work we investigate how the stereotypicality of a mother's occupation (female-dominated/communal vs. non-female-dominated/agentic) influences her young child's communal occupational aspirations and communal orientation. We conducted two studies with young children. Study 1 included 72 mother-child dyads recruited from childcare centers in Northern Norway (children's age range: 4½-6 years). Study 2 included 106 mother-child dyads recruited from Norwegian elementary schools (children's age range: 6 to 13 years). Results from Study 1 showed that the stereotypicality of mothers' occupation was related to their children's communal occupational aspirations and children's communal orientation. In contrast to our predictions and results from Study 1, the stereotypicality of mothers' occupation was not significantly related to children's communal occupational aspirations nor their communal orientation in Study 2. In both studies, we found no relationship between mothers' gender attitudes or share of child care and children's communal occupational aspirations. The results are discussed in terms of parents' influence on children's development of occupational aspirations.

Young immigrants in Norway: The role of national and ethnic identity in immigrants' integration.

The present work investigates the endorsement, antecedents, relationships, and consequences of young immigrants' social identities in Norway. Despite increasing numbers of refugees and immigrants entering Norway in recent years, little is known about the relationship between immigrants' different social identities and their feeling of integration into Norwegian society. The main goal of the present research is to fill this gap by investigating whether relationships found in other European countries replicate in the Norwegian context. In line with theoretical considerations and earlier international findings, results from two studies with different immigrant groups (Study 1: high school students; N = 97; Study 2: university students; N = 93) show that the more young immigrants in Norway endorse their national (i.e., Norwegian) identity, the less they endorse their ethnic identity (e.g., Kurdish). We further show that perceived conflict between the two cultures cannot explain the negative relationship between national and ethnic identity. In addition, immigrants' national identity endorsement is positively related to their dual identity endorsement (e.g., Kurdish-Norwegian). Positive contact with members of the receiving society predicts young immigrants' feeling of being integrated in Norwegian society and this relationship is mediated by national identity. Results are discussed in terms of the crucial role social identities play in immigrants' feeling of integration into European societies.

Social identity threat in interpersonal relationships: Activating negative stereotypes decreases social approach motivation.

Research has shown that social identity threat can have a broad variety of negative consequences. However, not much is known about the consequences of social identity threat on interpersonal relationships. In the present research, we hypothesize that experiencing social identity threat decreases people's social approach motivation toward other people related to the stereotyped domain. Specifically, we manipulated social identity threat by activating negative stereotypes about women in math. As math is an important aspect of the academic self-concept, female university students who are confronted with a negative math stereotype should experience threat toward their identity as university students. We then tested whether this threat affected female students' motivation to approach other university students and whether the effect was mediated by a reduced sense of belonging to the university. Data from 478 participants, assessed in three experimental (Study 1a: N = 79, Study 1b: N = 164, Study 2: N = 100) and one correlational study (Study 3: N = 135), mainly supported these hypotheses. We conclude that social identity threat can be detrimental to the quality of people's social lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Exposure to Counterstereotypical Role Models Influence Girls' and Women's Gender Stereotypes and Career Choices? A Review of Social Psychological Research.

Gender roles are formed in early childhood and continue to influence behavior through adolescence and adulthood, including the choice of academic majors and careers. In many countries, men are underrepresented in communal roles in health care, elementary education, and domestic functions (HEED fields, Croft et al., 2015), whereas women are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields (Beede et al., 2011) and top leadership positions (Leopold et al., 2016). Theories focusing on the development of gender roles suggest that across the lifespan people perceive certain roles to be more or less appropriate for their gender (e.g., Gender Schema Theory, Martin and Halverson, 1981; Social Role Theory, Eagly and Wood, 2011). Specifically, researchers have postulated that observing same-sex role models triggers learning processes whereby observers internalize gender-stereotypical knowledge of roles and act accordingly, which results in gender-congruent aspirations and behavior. It seems reasonable that if observing men and women in gender congruent roles fosters gender-congruent aspirations and behavior, then frequently observing gender-incongruent role models (e.g., male kindergarten teachers or female scientists and leaders) should reduce gender stereotyping and promote gender-counterstereotypical aspirations and behavior. In many countries, governments and societal decision-makers have formed initiatives based on the idea that exposure to gender-counterstereotypical role models influences aspirations and career choices among children, adolescents, and young adults. The present review gives an overview of research-based interventions involving observing or interacting with counterstereotypical role models, particularly focusing on outcomes for girls and women. Extending earlier reviews, we summarize laboratory-based and field-based studies and then critically discuss and integrate the findings in order to provide an overall picture of how counterstereotypical role models shape observers' occupational aspirations and academic choices in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. We conclude by outlining suggestions for future research and briefly discussing implications for future interventions.

From conscious thought to automatic action: A simulation account of action planning.

We provide a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for how verbally planning an action creates direct perception-action links and behavioral automaticity. We argue that planning actions in an if (situation)-then (action) format induces sensorimotor simulations (i.e., activity patterns reenacting the event in the sensory and motor brain areas) of the anticipated situation and the intended action. Due to their temporal overlap, these activity patterns become linked. Whenever the previously simulated situation is encountered, the previously simulated action is partially reactivated through spreading activation and thus more likely to be executed. In 4 experiments (N = 363), we investigated the relation between specific if-then action plans worded to activate simulations of elbow flexion versus extension movements and actual elbow flexion versus extension movements in a subsequent, ostensibly unrelated categorization task. As expected, linking a critical stimulus to intended actions that implied elbow flexion movements (e.g., grabbing it for consumption) subsequently facilitated elbow flexion movements upon encountering the critical stimulus. However, linking a critical stimulus to actions that implied elbow extension movements (e.g., pointing at it) subsequently facilitated elbow extension movements upon encountering the critical stimulus. Thus, minor differences (i.e., exchanging the words "point at" with "grab") in verbally formulated action plans (i.e., conscious thought) had systematic consequences on subsequent actions. The question of how conscious thought can induce stimulus-triggered action is illuminated by the provided theoretical framework and the respective empirical evidence, facilitating the understanding of behavioral automaticity and human agency. (PsycINFO Database Record

Is higher inequality less legitimate? Depends on How You Frame it!

Economic inequality is increasing both globally and in various countries around the world, and such inequality has been linked to worsening health, well-being, and social cohesion. A key predictor for whether people take action against inequality is the extent to which they perceive it as illegitimate. We investigate how two variables jointly predict the legitimization of inequality, namely the perceived magnitude of differences in economic outcomes and the way these differences are described. Two experiments (total N = 190) tested whether framing the same difference in outcomes as an advantaged group having more or as a disadvantaged group having less moderates whether higher inequality is perceived as less legitimate. Participants perceived bigger differences as less legitimate when these differences were framed as the disadvantaged group having less. When they were framed as the advantaged group having more, the perceived magnitude of differences and legitimacy beliefs were unrelated. Together, this research highlights the importance of language for how people perceive and respond to inequality.

The Relationship between Ethnic Classroom Composition and Turkish-Origin and German Students' Reading Performance and Sense of Belonging.

Past research on ethnic composition effects on migrant and ethnic majority students' performance has reported inconclusive results: Some studies have found no relationship between the proportion of migrant students in school and students' performance, some revealed positive effects, whereas others showed negative effects of the proportion of migrant students. Most of the studies did not consider whether an increase in the proportion of migrant students in the classroom has different effects on migrant and ethnic majority students' performance. For this reason, the present study (N = 9215) extends previous research by investigating the cross-level interaction effect of the proportion of Turkish-origin students in classrooms on Turkish-origin and German students' reading performance with data based on the German National Assessment Study 2008/2009 in the school subject German. In addition, we examined the cross-level interaction effect of Turkish-origin students' proportion on sense of belonging to school for Turkish-origin and German students, as sense of belonging has been shown to be an important predictor of well-being and integration. No cross-level interaction effect on performance emerged. Only a small negative main effect of the Turkish-origin students' proportion on all students' performance was found. As predicted, we showed a cross-level interaction on sense of belonging. Only Turkish-origin students' sense of belonging was positively related to the proportion of Turkish-origin students: The more Turkish-origin students there were in a classroom, the higher Turkish-origin students' sense of belonging. German students' sense of belonging was not related to the ethnic classroom composition. Implications of the results in the educational context are discussed.

Smiling on the Inside: The Social Benefits of Suppressing Positive Emotions in Outperformance Situations.

Although expressing positive emotions is typically socially rewarded, in the present work, we predicted that people suppress positive emotions and thereby experience social benefits when outperformed others are present. We tested our predictions in three experimental studies with high school students. In Studies 1 and 2, we manipulated the type of social situation (outperformance vs. non-outperformance) and assessed suppression of positive emotions. In both studies, individuals reported suppressing positive emotions more in outperformance situations than in non-outperformance situations. In Study 3, we manipulated the social situation (outperformance vs. non-outperformance) as well as the videotaped person's expression of positive emotions (suppression vs. expression). The findings showed that when outperforming others, individuals were indeed evaluated more positively when they suppressed rather than expressed their positive emotions, and demonstrate the importance of the specific social situation with respect to the effects of suppression.

Being smart or getting smarter: Implicit theory of intelligence moderates stereotype threat and stereotype lift effects.

This research explores implicit theory of intelligence (TOI) as a moderator of stereotype activation effects on test performance for members of negatively stereotyped and of favourably stereotyped groups. In Germany, Turkish-origin migrants are stereotyped as low in verbal ability. We predicted that on a test diagnostic of verbal intelligence, endorsement of an entity TOI predicts stereotype threat effects for Turkish-origin students and stereotype lift effects for German students. This effect could account for some of the performance gap between immigrants and host society members after stereotype activation. Study 1 (N = 107) established structural equivalence of implicit theories across the ethnic groups. In two experimental studies (Study 2: N = 182, Study 3: N = 190), we tested the moderating effect of TOI in a 2 (stereotype activation: diagnostic vs. non-diagnostic test) × 2 (ethnicity: German vs. Turkish migration background) experimental design. The results showed that when the test was described as diagnostic of verbal intelligence, higher entity theory endorsement predicted stereotype threat effects for Turkish-origin students (Study 2 and Study 3) and stereotype lift effects for German students (Study 3). The results are discussed in terms of practical implications for educational settings and theoretical implications for processes underlying stereotype activation effects.

Dealing with negative stereotypes in sports: the role of cognitive anxiety when multiple identities are activated in sensorimotor tasks.

Based on research on stereotype threat and multiple identities, this work explores the beneficial effects of activating a positive social identity when a negative identity is salient on women's performance in sports. Further, in line with research on the effects of anxiety in sports, we investigate whether the activation of a positive social identity buffers performance from cognitive anxiety associated with a negative stereotype. Two experiments tested these predictions in field settings. Experiment 1 (N = 83) shows that the simultaneous activation of a positive (i.e., member of a soccer team) and a negative social identity (i.e., woman) led to better performance than the activation of only a negative social identity for female soccer players. Experiment 2 (N = 46) demonstrates that identity condition moderated the effect of cognitive anxiety on performance for female basketball players. Results are discussed concerning multiple identities' potential for dealing with stressful situations.