Acculturative Family Distancing Research Articles

A longitudinal test of acculturative family distancing theory explaining latino/a/x adolescents' adjustment

According to acculturative family distancing theory, adolescents' perceptions of cultural incongruencies with parents can diminish the quality of parent-adolescent relationships and, as a result, harm adolescent adjustment. Using four time points of data for a sample of 547 diverse Latino/a/x adolescents, this study examined how parent-adolescent relationship quality and acculturative family distancing were associated with changes in adolescent school performance and internalizing symptoms. At baseline, the school-based sample ranged from 11- to 14-years-old (M = 12.78) and included slightly more females (55%) than males (45%). Cross-lagged structural equation model results indicated that adolescent reports of greater acculturative family distancing were associated with adolescent perceived increases in parent-adolescent conflict and decreases in parental support. Conflict mediated associations between acculturative family distancing and decreased school performance. Associations between parent-child relationship qualities and Latino/a/x adolescent adjustment were bidirectional.

Engaging South Asian youth and families: A clinical review.

South Asians (SAs), a rapidly growing minority group in the United States are underrepresented in mental health research. They represent a unique sub-group of Asian immigrants in that their journey to the United States in the last 50 years was driven by the pursuit of academic and career opportunities. Our goal is to provide a topical overview of factors contributing to the mental health challenges of South Asian American (SAA) youth and to describe culturally sensitive approaches that would provide effective treatment for SAA youth and their families. We conducted a review of published literature in PubMed and PsycInfo search engines using the key words South Asian immigrants, South Asian Americans, psychological, psychiatric, mental health treatment, therapy and interventions. The challenges faced by these highly educated families are distinctive in that there is a struggle to maintain ethnic identity based on collectivism while embracing American ideals of individualism. These opposing values along with model minority expectations put SAs at high risk for mental health concerns and acculturative family distancing. Furthermore, mental health stigma impedes help-seeking. Mental health practitioners must navigate the different value systems of the parent-child dyad without ostracizing either generation and deliver effective care. Hence, culturally adapted family therapy and community-based approaches may be particularly relevant in SA youth. Our article outlines common family attitudes and issues pertinent to mental health in youth and discusses useful clinical approaches to dealing with SAA youth and their families.

Acculturative family distancing and depressive symptoms among Latinas: The role of intergenerational cultural conflict.

Acculturative family distancing and depressive symptoms among Latinas: The role of intergenerational cultural conflict.

Acculturative Family Distancing, Mother–Daughter Relationship, and Well-Being Among Asian Americans

This study examined how mother–daughter connectedness may moderate: (a) the effect of acculturative family distancing (AFD) on psychological well-being (PWB), (b) the effect of mother–daughter conflict on PWB, and (c) the mediation effect of AFD on PWB through mother–daughter conflict. Four hundred and ten Asian American students completed an online survey. Our first hypothesis was not supported; the relation between AFD and PWB was significantly negative for those with higher connectedness but not significant for those with lower connectedness. We found support for the second and third hypotheses, whereby the associations were significantly negative at very low levels of connectedness, significantly positive at very high levels of connectedness, and not statistically significant at low, moderate, or high levels of connectedness. Our findings highlight the protective nature of connectedness in the mother–daughter relationship, which challenges the notion that cultural differences within Asian American families are necessarily associated with negative outcomes.

Acculturative Family Distancing, Religious Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Eastern European Immigrants in Western Washington

Acculturative Family Distancing, Religious Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Eastern European Immigrants in Western Washington

Acculturative Family Distancing, Religious Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Eastern European Immigrants in Western Washington

Acculturative Family Distancing, Religious Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Eastern European Immigrants in Western Washington

Bicultural competence, acculturative family distancing, and future depression in Latino/a college students: a moderated mediation model.

In his acculturative family distancing (AFD) theory, Hwang (2006b) argued that acculturation gaps among parents and youth may lead to psychological and emotional distancing. AFD includes 2 dimensions: incongruent cultural values and breakdowns in communication. This study examined whether bicultural competence (BC) served as a mediator and moderator for the relationship between AFD and depression using structural equation modeling. Two hundred and forty-one Latino/a college students attending predominantly White, midwestern universities completed an online survey at 2 time points. For mediation, results indicated that BC at Time 2 (T2) mediated the relationship between AFD at Time 1 (T1) and depression at T2 above and beyond the effects of depression, acculturation, and enculturation at T1. A bootstrap method estimated the significance of the indirect effect. Moreover, 16% of the variance in BC at T2 was explained by acculturation, enculturation, and AFD at T1; 30% of the variance in depression at T2 was explained by BC at T2 and depression at T1. Post hoc analyses of the AFD and BC dimensions suggested that (a) positive attitudes toward both groups, communication ability, and social groundedness were significant mediators for the incongruent cultural values-depression link and (b) communication ability and social groundedness were significant mediators for the communication breakdown-depression link. For moderation, the AFD × BC interaction did not significantly predict depression at T2. Limitations, future research directions, and counseling implications are discussed.

Predicting depressive symptoms from acculturative family distancing: A study of Taiwanese parachute kids in adulthood.

We applied Hwang's (2006a) acculturative family distancing (AFD) theory to Taiwanese "parachute kids," who had immigrated to the United States or Canada as unaccompanied minors and remained in North American as adults. It was hypothesized that each dimension of AFD-communication breakdown and cultural value incongruence-would uniquely predict conflict with participants' family members in Taiwan, which would, in turn, predict their depressive symptoms. In a sample of 68 former parachute kids aged 18 to 36 years, the relation between communication breakdown and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by family conflict. On the other hand, the mediation effect was not found for cultural value incongruence. Moreover, a suppression effect occurred, suggesting the likelihood that an additional, unknown variable accounts for the relation between cultural value incongruence and depressive symptoms. We concluded, from these results, that the 2 AFD dimensions operate differently in this population than in previous AFD research. This conclusion was further supported by the finding that participants reported significantly more communication breakdown than cultural value incongruence with family members residing in Taiwan.

Acculturative family distancing: Psychometric analysis with the extended two-tier item response theory.

The acculturative family distancing (AFD) rating questionnaire measures the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and their children, which is caused by breakdowns in communication and cultural value differences. The items included in the AFD questionnaire are indicators for more proximal and problem-focused aspects of the acculturation gap. In this study, a psychometric analysis is performed on the data gathered with the AFD instrument. One hundred twenty-three Chinese American families (112 mothers, 85 fathers, and 120 children for a total of 317) completed the questionnaire. In addition, the specifications for an extended 2-tier item factor analysis model within a Bayesian multidimensional item response theory framework are provided to psychometrically analyze the AFD data. Results suggest that the original 2 dimensions of Communication Difficulties and Cultural Values Incongruency can be further refined into 4 clinically relevant dimensions (i.e., Verbal Communication Difficulties, Nonverbal Communication Difficulties, General Cultural Values Incongruency, and Family Values Incongruency). Moreover, reducing the number of items can improve AFD estimates and reduce assessment burden.

Supplemental Material for Acculturative Family Distancing: Psychometric Analysis With the Extended Two-Tier Item Response Theory

Supplemental Material for Acculturative Family Distancing: Psychometric Analysis With the Extended Two-Tier Item Response Theory

Acculturative family distancing (AFD) and depression in Chinese American families.

Knowledge of acculturative processes and their impact on immigrant families remains quite limited. Acculturative family distancing (AFD) is the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and their children and is caused by breakdowns in communication and cultural value differences. It is a more proximal and problem-focused formulation of the acculturation gap and is hypothesized to increase depression via family conflict. Data were collected from 105 Chinese American high school students and their mothers. Rasch modeling was used to refine the AFD measure, and structural equation modeling was used to determine the effects of AFD on youth and maternal depression. Findings indicate that greater AFD was associated with higher depressive symptoms and risk for clinical depression. Family conflict partially mediated this relation for youths, whereas for mothers, AFD directly increased risk for depression. Greater mother-child heritage enculturation discrepancies were associated with greater mother and child AFD. Mainstream acculturation discrepancies and language gaps between mothers and youths were not significantly associated with any of the primary outcome variables. Results highlight the need for better understanding of how AFD and other acculturation-gap phenomena affect immigrant mental health. They also underscore the need for prevention and intervention programs that target communication difficulties and intergenerational cultural value differences.

Acculturative Family Distancing: Links with Self-Reported Symptomatology among Asian Americans and Latinos

Our knowledge of how acculturative processes affect families remains quite limited. This article tests whether acculturative family distancing (AFD), a more proximal and problem-oriented measure of the acculturation gap, influences the mental health status of Asian American and Latino college students. AFD occurs along two dimensions: communication difficulties and cultural value incongruence. Data were collected from 186 Asian American (n=107) and Latino (n=79) undergraduates, who provided self-reports on psychological problems, depressive symptoms, and family conflict. A new self-report measure of AFD evidencing good psychometric properties was used to test hypothesized relations among these variables in structural equation models (SEM). For both Asian American and Latinos, results indicated that higher levels of AFD were associated with higher psychological distress and greater risk for clinical depression, and that family conflict mediated this relation. AFD processes were associated with the mental health of students and the functioning of their families. These findings highlight potential foci to address in prevention and intervention programs, such as improving communication and teaching families how to negotiate cultural value differences.

Acculturative family distancing: Theory, research, and clinical practice.

Despite the rapidly growing immigrant population settling in the United States, our knowledge of acculturative processes and their impact on immigrant families remains quite limited. This article describes a theoretical construct called Acculturative Family Distancing (AFD), the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and children that is a result of immigration, cultural differences, and differing rates of acculturation. AFD occurs along two dimensions: communication and cultural values. Breakdowns in communication and incongruent cultural values between immigrant parents and children are hypothesized to increase over time and place families at risk for mental illness and family dysfunction. Clinical illustrations of AFD's impact on immigrant Asian families are provided and recommendations for dealing with AFD are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).