Relations among parental acceptance and control and children’s social adjustment in Chinese American and European American families.

Abstract

Parental acceptance and control are the 2 dimensions of parenting that have been investigated most; however, little is known about their cross-cultural expressions. This longitudinal study examined acceptance, control, and R. Chao's indigenous Chinese notion of control-chiao shun (training)-in 35 immigrant Chinese American (CA) and 38 European American (EA) families. Data were collected when children were in preschool and kindergarten (T1); first and second grades (T2); and third and fourth grades (T3). Within couples, CA mothers and fathers reported similar levels of acceptance and control, whereas EA mothers and fathers did not. CA fathers' and mothers' and EA mothers' acceptance and control exerted a positive influence on their children's psychological adjustment. CA fathers' training negatively predicted their children's problem behaviors 4 years later.

The Effects of Parenting Styles on Behavioral Problems in Primary School Children: A Cross-Cultural Review

“…Although some studies support an association between parenting styles and their child's outcomes, some evidence suggests that this relation may differ across cultures (Dai, 1999;Deater-Deater-Deckard, Dodge, Bates, & Pettit, 1996;Huntsinger & Jose, 2009;Leung et al, 1998;Polaha, 1999;Steinberg et al, 1991;Stormshak et al, 2000). For instance, physical discipline has been found to be positively associated with higher externalising and aggression scores in European American children, but in African American children this correlation was negligible and non-significant (Deater-Deckard et al, 1996).…”

Training and Adolescent Adjustment among Academically Gifted European and Chinese American Students

“…Indeed, some studies have found that immigrant Chinese American parents endorse training to a greater degree than do European American parents [28,30]. However, Li et al's [3] study found no ethnic difference, but rather that mainland Chinese and European American college students perceived similar levels of training.…”

“…For example, regarding training's implications for academic adjustment, studies of mainland and Hong Kong Chinese college students have found positive associations of training with academic performance and efficacy [3,33]. Positive implications of training for school engagement among Chinese/Chinese American students have also emerged, including a positive link between paternal training during children's preschool years and fewer problem behaviors (including school-engagement problems) four years later for second-generation Chinese Americans [28] and indirect positive effects of both maternal and paternal guan on mainland Chinese adolescents' school engagement via the mediation of the children's xiao (filial piety) [25]. However, some studies on mainland and Hong Kong Chinese adolescents have found no association of training with their academic performance and school engagement [34,35].…”

“…Two of the studies mentioned above [3,28] also studied European American peers and found that for these students, training was not associated with academic adjustment and school engagement. Moreover, these two studies suggested that positive implications of training for academic adjustment and school engagement may be more likely for Chinese/Chinese Americans, but not for European Americans.…”

“…First, although both styles include parental control, they differ in how it is conceptualized and expressed. In Baumrind's typology, parental control is conceptualized as an expression of parents' hostility toward or dominance of children, while in training, parental control carries a positive connotation of continuous monitoring and guidance of children [27]-which can be beneficial for children's academic adjustment [3] and school engagement [28]. Second, authoritarian parenting does not convey parental responsiveness, while parental responsiveness is expressed in training through instrumental support, devotion, and guidance for children's education and behavior.…”