Chinese American Families Research Articles

Multiple Social Roles and Role Transference: Lessons Learned from a Chinese American Family Caregiver.

According to the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (2018), as the older adult population has increased, unpaid and family caregiving has become more common across all racial and ethnic groups in the United States and globally. Chinese American family caregivers who are influenced by the value of a familial piety might have a more complex experience on family caregiving (Cheng, Lam, Kwok, Ng, & Fung, 2013; Chien, Chan, & Morrissey, 2007; Tang, 2011; Wang, Shyu, Chen, & Yang, 2011). The call for social workers’ using culturally sensitive approaches to better assist Chinese American family caregivers has been long-standing (Chan & Chui, 2011; Lai, 2010). In my previous study, the culturally sensitive life story approach was examined and found effective in reducing Chinese American caregivers’ stress (Lun, 2019). During the research study, I collaborated with an elder Chinese American family caregiver using an interview process to help her narrate and construct meaning of her caregiving life story. Her life story provides insights on social role change and adaption. These insights help social workers obtain an in-depth understanding on the complexity of family caregiving.

Longitudinal relations among school context, school-based parent involvement, and academic achievement of Chinese American children in immigrant families

Immigrant families face multiple barriers to engaging with children's schools. Yet, school-based parent involvement has been associated with academic and behavioral benefits for children of immigrant families. Although past research has examined links between family contextual factors and parent involvement, less is known about the links between school contextual factors and parent involvement in immigrant families. Identifying socio-cultural barriers to parent involvement across home and school contexts can inform culturally competent family engagement interventions serving immigrant families. In a two-wave (1.5 years apart) longitudinal study of a community-based sample of Chinese American children (N = 210, beginning age = 5.8–9.1 years) attending over 80 schools in a metropolitan area, we assessed school-based parent involvement behaviors and parent involvement-related psychological processes (i.e., parent-teacher relationship quality, parents' endorsement of schools, teachers' perceptions of parents) using parent and teacher report. First, results indicated that significant positive associations were found between school-based parent involvement behaviors and parent involvement-related psychological processes (rs = 0.36–0.53). Next, multi-level modeling was conducted to test concurrent relations of Wave 1 school contextual factors to all four parent involvement constructs (controlling for family-level factors), as well as testing the prospective relations of parent involvement at Wave 1 to children's academic achievement at Wave 2. Student body diversity of schools was negatively associated with school-based parent involvement (rs = −0.18, −0.17), parent-rated parent-teacher relationship quality (r = −0.18), and parents' endorsement of schools (r = −0.36). The concentration of Asian students at schools and schoolwide achievement were negatively associated with teachers' perceptions of parents (rs = −0.18, −0.20). However, neither school contextual factors nor school-based parent involvement at Wave 1 uniquely predicted children's academic achievement at Wave 2. Implications of findings for understanding and addressing barriers to engaging Chinese American immigrant families in their children's schools are discussed.

Cultural Values, Intergenerational Transmission of Internalized Racism, Education, and Career Goals in Chinese American Families

The present study is the first of its kind using a dyadic and prospective research design to test whether traditional Asian cultural values and internalized racism among Chinese American adolescents and their first-generation immigrant parents are influential factors in the educational and vocational goals of the adolescents by the time they become young adults. While results show that traditional Asian cultural values and internalized racism were not related to adolescents’ educational aspiration or young adults’ major choice, results do show an intergenerational correlation in internalized racism. Furthermore, results show that youth who planned to pursue science/health professions had significantly higher levels of internalized racism than those who planned to pursue business/law professions. Findings suggest that internalized racism may restrict parents’ expectations and goals for their children and, in tandem, serve as a barrier for youths’ self-determination or sense of autonomy in their selection of college majors and career development.

Intergenerational Solidarity and Being Primary Caregiver for Older Parents in Chinese American Families: Findings From PIETY Study.

Guided by the intergenerational solidarity theory, this study examined how different dimension of intergenerational solidarity of adult children associated with their choice of being a primary caregiver for aging parents in the Chinese American families. Secondary data from PIETY study were used. Logistic regressions were conducted to examine the relationships between each dimension of intergenerational solidarity and the likelihood of being a primary caregiver to mother or father. Associational solidarity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31, for father, OR = 1.27, for mother), normative solidarity (OR = 1.06, for both father and mother), and structural solidarity (OR = 0.95, for father, OR = 0.64, for mother) were significant associates of high chances of being primary caregivers for older parents. Results from this study confirmed the importance of cultural construct of solidarity in caregiving choice. Practice implications for health care professionals, in particular the nurses were discussed.

A longitudinal study on bidirectional relations between executive functions and English word-level reading in Chinese American children in immigrant families

This two-wave (1.5 years apart) longitudinal study examined the bidirectional relations between measures of executive function (EF; working memory, attention focusing, inhibitory control, and a comprehensive EF measure) and two types of English word-level reading (pseudoword reading and word reading) among 258 school-aged children (52.6% boys, age = 5.8–9.1 years, in 1st to 3rd grades at Wave 1) from Chinese American immigrant families. Cross-lagged panel analyses were conducted to test whether the four EF measures and English word-level reading proficiency predicted one another controlling for prior levels of EF or reading, as well as demographic characteristics and children's English and Chinese language proficiency. We found a positive bidirectional association between the comprehensive EF measure and pseudoword reading. By contrast, although the comprehensive EF measure positively predicted word reading over time, word reading did not predict comprehensive EF. Additionally, both word reading and pseudoword reading positively predicted working memory over time. The results provided partial evidence that English word-level reading is bidirectionally related to EF among early elementary school-age dual language learners.

Spouse and Adult-Child Dementia Caregivers in Chinese American Families: Who Are More Stressed Out?

ObjectivesThough many studies have explored differences between spouses and adult children in dementia care, empirical evidence is lacking on racial- and ethnic-minority populations. To fill this research gap, this study examined care tasks, caregiver burden, and depressive symptoms of Chinese spouse and adult-child caregivers in dementia care. Guided by the stress process model, this study asked 3 questions: Do spouse and adult-child caregivers take up different care tasks and experience different levels of caregiver burden and depressive symptoms? Does gender moderate the differences between spouse and adult-child caregivers? Whether care tasks and burden mediate the association between being a spouse/adult-child caregiver and depressive symptoms? Setting and ParticipantsData were collected from a questionnaire-based survey of Chinese Americans who provided care for their family members with dementia in New York City. The analytical sample included 126 Chinese spouse or adult-child caregivers. MethodsCare tasks was indicated by intensity of 8 types of care tasks. Caregiver burden and depressive symptoms were measured by Zarit's Burden Interview and the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Linear regression, interaction term (spouse/adult-child caregiver by gender), and path analysis were conducted to address the 3 questions. ResultsThe results of linear regression show no significant difference in care tasks between the 2 groups, but spouse caregivers had significantly higher levels of caregiver burden and depressive symptoms than adult children. Wives had higher levels of caregiver burden and depressive symptoms than husbands, daughters, and sons. Caregiver burden mediated the association between being a spouse caregiver and higher depressive symptoms, whereas care tasks did not shape such association. Conclusions and ImplicationsThis study highlighted the emotional stress of Chinese American older adults in providing care for their spouses. The findings indicate the necessity of developing culturally meaningful activities to support Chinese American spouse caregivers.

Translanguaging for biliteracy: Book reading practices in a Chinese bilingual family

ABSTRACT This is a qualitative case study that explores conversational interactions during book-reading practices in a Mandarin-speaking Chinese American family between the mother and her two young children. The study employs a sociocultural lens and the concept of translanguaging to describe the characteristics of interactional practices during book readings in a bilingual family with young children. Through discourse analysis of the book reading interactions, we found that translanguaging acted as a bridge to comprehension and served as a window to mental imagery that allowed participants to refine their understanding of the texts. We draw implications for teachers working with emergent bilingual children, particularly on the role of heritage languages in promoting biliteracy development in young emerging bilingual children.

Grandparenting and the Receipt of Filial Piety From Adult Children in Chinese American Families

The current study explores the association between grandparent caregiving by Chinese American elders and their perceived receipt of filial support from their adult children, called filial piety (xiao). Many studies find a correlation between grandparent caregiving and filial behaviors from their adult children, which is notably higher among minority families, especially among Asians than among white families, stimulated by the norm of reciprocity, familism, and extended kinship. Drawing from the theory of intergenerational relationships, social exchange theory, and the role theory, this study questions whether a more active engagement in grandparenting renders higher levels of filial piety returns from adult children. It uses the PINE data, a survey on the wellbeing of Chinese American elders in Chicago. The results show that more hours of grandparent caregiving relate to higher returns of filial piety perceived by older parents. Correspondingly, though with a marginal significance, more pressures to take care of a grandchild from adult children reduce the elders’ perception of filial piety receipt. No interaction effect is found between the grandparenting hours and the pressure from adult children. Additionally, Chinese American elders possessing higher levels of education, mastery, and longer stays in the US perceive lower levels of filial piety receipt from adult children. Discussion will focus on how grandparent caregiving can be mutually beneficial and strengthen intergenerational relationships among Chinese American families.

The Impact of Educational Training for Supporting Chinese American Family Caregivers

A pilot self-care educational training, focusing on common caregiving stress, self-care, conflicts, and communication within families for supporting caregiving for family members of old age, was offered to the Chinese American community. After the series of training, 16 participants were asked to evaluate their knowledge of family caregiving as well as the training. Results of the preliminary study revealed that most participants found the training informative but were not sure if they would continue to apply over time. Overall participants reported to be satisfied with the training and receptive to additional training in the future. Results encourage further implementing the training, and investigation of the longitudinal effect of the training to help with family caregiving issues.

Journal Digest: Riluzole, and Hyperarousal; Children, OCD, and Pandemic; Apathy, Dementia, and Older Adults; Cannabis, and Opioids; COVID, Xenophobia, and Mental Health

Journal Digest: Riluzole, and Hyperarousal; Children, OCD, and Pandemic; Apathy, Dementia, and Older Adults; Cannabis, and Opioids; COVID, Xenophobia, and Mental Health

COVID-19 Racism and Mental Health in Chinese American Families.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has fueled xenophobia against Chinese Americans. We examined the rates of 6 types of COVID-19 racism and racial discrimination experienced by Chinese American parents and youth and the associations with their mental health. We recruited a population-based sample of Chinese American families to participate in this self-reported survey study conducted from March 14, 2020, to May 31, 2020. Eligible parent participants identified as ethnically/racially Chinese, lived in the United States, and had a 4- to 18-year-old child; their eligible children were 10 to 18 years old. The sample included 543 Chinese American parents (mean [SD] age, 43.44 [6.47] years; 425 mothers [78.3%]), and their children (N = 230; mean [SD] age, 13.83 [2.53] years; 111 girls [48.3%]). Nearly half of parents and youth reported being directly targeted by COVID-19 racial discrimination online (parents: 172 [31.7%]; youth: 105 [45.7%]) and/or in person (parents: 276 [50.9%]; youth: 115 [50.2%]). A total of 417 (76.8%) parents and 176 (76.5%) youth reported at least 1 incident of COVID-19 vicarious racial discrimination online and/or in person (parents: 481 [88.5%]; youth: 211 [91.9%]). A total of 267 (49.1%) parents and 164 (71.1%) youth perceived health-related Sinophobia in America, and 274 (50.4%) parents and 129 (56.0%) youth perceived media-perpetuated Sinophobia. Higher levels of parent- and youth-perceived racism and racial discrimination were associated with their poorer mental health. Health care professionals must attend to the racism-related experiences and mental health needs of Chinese Americans parents and their children throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via education and making appropriate mental health referrals.

The Pandemics of Racism and COVID-19: Danger and Opportunity.

* Abbreviation: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent crisis. Racism is an enduring crisis that is inflamed in the presence of other crises. The Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of 2 characters, one signifying “danger” and the other, “opportunity” (Fig 1). The pandemics of COVID-19 and racism present clear danger. Our duty is to make sense of the opportunity by learning, understanding, and taking action. FIGURE 1 The Chinese word for “crisis” is made up of 2 characters: danger and opportunity. In this issue of Pediatrics , Cheah et al1 demonstrate the danger of these twin crises for Chinese American families. They surveyed parents and their children who reported a high rate of recent racist experiences, both in person and online. They also found a correlation with poor mental health. Like the subjects in their survey, the authors of this commentary (a Chinese American academic pediatrician parent and her daughter, a third-year medical student just starting her clinical rotations) have each experienced implicit and explicit bias and the rise of Sinophobia, both inside and outside the health care setting. The findings in the article by Cheah et al1 are consistent with a recent Pew Research Foundation study in which 4 in 10 Americans reported that it has become more common since COVID-19 for people to express racist views about Asian Americans. Both Asian and Black … Address correspondence to Tina L. Cheng, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1800 Orleans St, #8491, Baltimore, MD 21287. E-mail: tcheng2{at}jhmi.edu

Exploration of family intervention strategies and their receptivity among Chinese American families with a member having schizophrenia: a qualitative study

This study explores therapists’ specific intervention strategies and corresponding responses in the change process for Chinese American families with a family member having schizophrenia, based on individual family sessions notes in the context of family psychoeducation. Nine intake summaries and 103 family session notes (from nine patients and nineteen caregivers) were analysed through open, axial, and selective coding based on grounded theory. Interventions that promoted healthier family dynamics and effective communication, provided psychoeducation, practical help and emotional support, and improved coping skills were found to be effective and well received. These strategies can be integrated into a culturally sensitive family intervention protocol for this population and those of similar backgrounds. Clinicians can also employ them to enhance client receptivity in the treatment process.Practitioner points Many immigrant Chinese families with serious mental illness may become enmeshed, with caregivers exhibiting over‐involvement and criticism of sick family members This increases stress for both parties and clinicians need to facilitate change to establish clear boundaries Immigrant families often need help to meet their tangible needs in dealing with external systems in their daily lives Understanding cultural characteristics among ethnic minorities and being flexible and responsive to their needs are both essential in family interventions.

Caregiving Attitudes and Needs of Later-generation Chinese-American Family Caregivers of Older Adults

Due to linguistic and cultural adjustments to a new country, first-generation immigrant’s caregiving challenges have been well-documented. However, little is known of U.S.-born, U.S.-educated, English-speaking later-generation caregivers’ (2nd, 2.5, and 3rd-generation) attitudes and needs regarding caregiving. Given this context, we interviewed 40 later-generation Chinese-American caregivers in Seattle and Houston. Caregivers had a mean age of 59 years, were married, college-educated, and working females with children. The later the caregiver’s generation, the higher their acculturation, but their sense of filial responsibility remained high across generations. While Seattle caregivers wish to live in a high-quality, long-term care facility, Houston caregivers prefer to live with their adult children for their future care. Findings emphasize the importance of understanding the caregivers’ ethnically and generationally specific caregiving attitudes and preferences for geographically specific services. Collaborating with existing local organizations, it is critical to ensure that the provision of services meets local Chinese-American caregivers’ needs and preferences.

The Cost of Academic Focus: Daily School Problems and Biopsychological Adjustment in Chinese American Families.

Stress from daily school problems may accumulate and eventually lead to mental health issues in both youth and their parents. With a strong cultural emphasis on school performance, Chinese American families may be particularly vulnerable to such stress. In the current research, Chinese American adolescents (N = 95; Mean age = 13.7 years; 51% girls) and their parents completed daily diary reports of school problems and emotional well-being for 14 continuous days. Adolescents also provided four saliva samples per day for 4 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling analyses showed that youth's daily school problems predicted their lower happiness, higher distress, and higher total cortisol output above and beyond their emotional well-being and cortisol output the prior day. Moreover, there was a spillover effect such that youth's school problems also negatively predicted their parents' emotional well-being. Notably, the negative influence from school problems was moderated by children's cultural orientation, such that youth who were more oriented toward Chinese (vs. American) culture were more vulnerable to the school problems. Taken together, our results highlight the costs on biopsychological adjustment accompanying the academic focus in Chinese American youth and their parents.

Parent-Child Conflict Profiles in Chinese American Immigrant Families: Links to Sociocultural Factors and School-Age Children's Psychological Adjustment.

Research suggests that parent-child conflict is a salient family process in Asian immigrant families and often a stressful experience for Asian American youth due to value discrepancies between Asian and Western cultures. The present study examined ratings of parent-child conflict across conflict topics from parents' and children's perspectives in a sample of Chinese American immigrant families with school-age children (N=239; age=7.5-11years). Latent profile analyses identified three parent-rated conflict profiles and four child-rated conflict profiles. Parent and child conflict profiles were unrelated to each other and differentially related to family sociocultural factors and children's psychological adjustment. Parents' moderate conflict profile scored highest on parent-rated child behavior problems and had the highest household density and lower parent Chinese orientation. Children's moderate-specific and high conflict profiles scored higher on child-reported behavior problems than the low conflict profile. These results highlight the need to assess family conflict from both parents' and children's perspectives and target parent-child conflict communication as a pathway to prevent or reduce behavioral problems in Chinese American children of immigrant families.

Mothers’ Gender Beliefs Matter for Adolescents’ Academic Achievement and Engagement: An Examination of Ethnically Diverse U.S. Mothers and Adolescents

We examined mothers’ beliefs about gender-typed values and activities and their associations with the academic skills (i.e., math and reading/language arts) and engagement (i.e., emotional engagement in school) of their adolescent children (13–15 years-old) in a U.S. sample of Black, Chinese American, Latinx, and White families (n = 158). Mothers were more likely to endorse gender-typed activities (e.g., “Boys shouldn’t play with dolls”) than gender-typed values (e.g., “Men should make the important decisions in the family”). We found that Chinese American and Latina mothers endorsed more traditional gender-typed beliefs than Black mothers, who endorsed more traditional beliefs than White mothers. Adjusting for race/ethnicity and prior academic outcomes, mothers’ endorsement of gender-typed values was associated with lower emotional engagement in school for male adolescents. In addition, adjusting for race/ethnicity and prior academic outcomes, mothers’ endorsement of gender-typed activities was associated with lower math grades for female adolescents, lower emotional engagement in school for young men, and higher emotional engagement in school for young women. Mothers’ endorsement of gender-typed values and activities was not associated with reading/language arts grades for either male or female adolescents. Our findings have important implications for understanding the processes through which mothers’ gender attitudes may be conveyed and enacted in adolescents’ behavior within the school setting.

Emotion talk in Chinese American immigrant families and longitudinal links to children’s socioemotional competence.

Parent emotion talk (ET), a type of emotion-related socialization practice, is theorized to foster children's emotion-related regulation and socioemotional skills. Yet, there has been limited research linking parent ET to children's effortful control, a top-down regulatory process. Despite the observed cultural differences in ET between Chinese and European American families, few researchers tested whether the socioemotional benefits of ET are generalizable to Chinese American families, an immigrant group with contrasting values in their heritage and host cultures. The present study examined Chinese American parents' ET, its associations with sociocultural factors, and prospective relations to school-age children's effortful control, sympathy, and socially appropriate behaviors. In a two-wave (1.5 years apart) longitudinal study of first- and second-generation Chinese American children (N = 258, age = 6-9 years at Wave 1, 52% from low-income families), the content and quality of parent ET (e.g., the overall quality of emotion talk, frequency of emotion explanations, emotion questions, and number of emotion words) was coded from a video-recorded shared book reading task. Children's effortful control, sympathy, and social behaviors were rated by parents, teachers, and children. Results showed that the Chinese American parents from lower socioeconomic status families, families with lower English proficiency, or more recent immigrants displayed lower ET. Parent ET was prospectively related to children's higher effortful control after controlling for stability, and higher effortful control was concurrently associated with children's higher sympathy and more socially appropriate behaviors. The findings provide empirical support for the socioemotional benefits of ET for school-age children in Chinese American immigrant families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Intrusive Parenting in Chinese American Immigrant Families: Relations with Cultural Orientations and Children's Adjustment.

This multi-method study examined associations between observed and parent- and child-reported intrusive parenting, parent and child cultural orientations, and children's adjustment in a socioeconomically diverse sample of Chinese American immigrant families. Participants were 239 Chinese American school-aged children (M age = 9.19 years, range = 7.49 to 10.96 years) and their parents from first- and second-generation immigrant families. Parents and children reported on parents' intrusive parenting, their own cultural orientations, and parents and teachers reported on children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Observed intrusive parenting behaviors were coded from videotaped parent-child conflict discussions. Findings from path analysis indicated that there was a unique positive association between child Chinese orientation and child-reported intrusive parenting, a unique negative association between parents' American orientation and child reported intrusive parenting, and a unique positive association between child American orientation and observed intrusive parenting. Intrusive parenting was negatively associated with child adjustment, but associations varied depending on measurement. Findings suggest that different measures of intrusive parenting are differentially associated with children's adjustment in Chinese American immigrant families.

Between Two Worlds: Chinese Immigrant Children and the Production of Knowledge in the Era of Chinese Exclusion

Between Two Worlds: Chinese Immigrant Children and the Production of Knowledge in the Era of Chinese Exclusion