Congruence and discrepancy in migrant children’s and mothers’ perceived discrimination: Using response surface analysis to examine the effects on psychological distress

Abstract

New migrants from Mainland China to Hong Kong have faced increased discrimination from local Hong Kongers, which may have negative impacts on their adjustment and mental health. Guided by the family systems theory, we tested the dyadic effects of perceived discrimination levels among migrant children and mothers on their psychological distress in a sample of 200 child–mother pairs who migrated from Mainland China to Hong Kong. Using polynomial regression and response surface analyses, we found that when children's and mothers’ reports of perceived discrimination showed congruence, higher levels of perceived discrimination were positively associated with both children's and mothers’ psychological distress. In addition, when children's and mothers’ reports of perceived discrimination were discrepant, higher levels of perceived discrimination among children compared with mothers were associated with increased psychological distress for children, and higher levels of perceived discrimination among mothers compared with children were associated with increased psychological distress for mothers. By using a dyadic approach, our study advances the understanding of the degree to which child–mother congruence and the direction of discrepancies in perceived discrimination contributes to children's and mothers’ psychological distress. These findings have implications for the design of psychological distress‐reduction intervention programs in the context of discrimination among migrant pairs.

The moderating effects of growth mindset on perceived discrimination and behavior problems among Chinese migrant children.

“…Second, although we included multi-informant reports from parents and children on child internalizing and externalizing behaviors, perceived discrimination and theory of intelligence were only measured from the perspective of the child. A recent study found that discrepancy in parent and child reports of discrimination in Chinese migrants, where children reported higher levels of perceived discrimination, was associated with increased psychological distress for children (Qu et al, 2021). Studies have also identified a discrepancy between parent and child reports of personality and self-rated intelligence (e.g., Wirthwein et al, 2019).…”

(In)congruence in child–mother relationships and depressive symptoms in cross-boundary families.

“…Third, this study only examined child-mother congruence in the family context and its association with depressive symptoms at the microlevel through a dyadic prism. Future research, using a multisystemic perspective, should explore child-mother congruence in relation to other factors at multiple levels, such as testing how congruence in perceived discrimination from the ecosystem contributes to psychological distress in child-mother dyads (Qu et al, 2021).…”

Migration and health: Translation to action

“…This special issue tackles this research gap by offering ground‐breaking insights into migrant health, including psychological (e.g. depression, social anxiety, externalizing problems, and subjective well‐being; Këllezi et al, 2021*; Li, Su, et al, 2021*; Qu et al, 2021*) and physical (e.g. sleep disturbances; Zhang & Wang, in press*) health among diverse populations of migrants (e.g.…”

“…Accordingly, the special issue tackles important individual (e.g. perceived discrimination, job stress; Li, Du, et al, 2021*; Qu et al, 2021*; Xie et al, 2020*) and interpersonal (e.g. parental control, negative peer interactions, single or partnered relationship status; Adamczyk et al, 2021*; Li, Su, et al, 2021*) predictors of migrant health using multiple research designs (e.g.…”

“…This special issue narrows this gap by presenting rigorous studies using both theoretical and empirical evidence to design appropriate interventions to reduce the short‐term and long‐term adverse effects of migration on health of migrant populations. For example, Qu et al (2021*) suggested that future resilience enhancement interventions targeting migrants must take a family‐based approach hinging on family dynamics. Xie et al (2020*) emphasized the need to encourage cross‐group interactions to promote intercultural understanding between international students and domestic students.…”