Intergenerational Family Conflict Research Articles

The development of a dyadic family life review intervention for the Asian diaspora: A practice article.

Intergenerational family conflict is a commonly identified issue in the Asian diaspora; however, there are limited interventions designed to address this concern. Given this gap in the literature, the authors present a practice article outlining the conceptualization, development, and delivery of a dyadic life review intervention called (Re)Cultivating Family Stories (RFS). RFS is a clinician-facilitated family intervention designed to promote connection and foster successive communication through the joint activity of developing a family story. Life review is a structured approach for reminiscing and evaluating one's life experiences and includes dyadic variants. RFS builds on dyadic life review by facilitating collaborative dialogs between a parent and adult offspring, incorporating culturally responsive elements, and focusing on developing family stories. This article provides an overview of the intervention and its theoretical foundations, along with formative feedback from a field test. Considerations for future implementation and research directions are described.

“Our Children Are Dead”: Past and Anticipated Adversity Shaping Caregiving and Cultural Reproduction among Banyamulenge Refugee Families in Rwanda

It is well known that experiences of extreme adversity strongly impact caregiving and family dynamics. In this study, we explore how caregiving is shaped by experiences of war and displacement among a community experiencing protracted, ongoing conflict and displacement, namely, Congolese Banyamulenge refugee families in Rwanda. The findings are based on six months of ethnographic team research with Banyamulenge refugee families living in semi-urban southern Rwanda. Among the caregivers, including people who arrived several years ago and others who have lived in Rwanda for over two decades, we found a strong longing for home and past cattle-herding life. We also found that caregivers emphasized the transmission of “survival tactics” as well as Banyamulenge identity and culture. We argue that these caregiving objectives and practices speak to the community’s experiences of material and existential losses in the past, as well as those anticipated in the unknown future. Second, parental caregiving efforts appear to lead to increased intergenerational dissonance, with children wishing to integrate into their host community. While this finding appears in line with much of the migration literature about intergenerational family relationships and conflict, we find that children’s orientation is not only informed by the host environment but also stems from a desire to relieve their parents’ suffering from loss and help them invest in more optimistic futures. Finally, while our findings suggest profound changes in social and cultural reproduction in the long term, we argue for caution, as ongoing changes in war dynamics in DR Congo may inform shifts in ideas on belonging among the children. The findings provide new insights for understanding how caregiving may be affected by war and displacement while effecting change in war-affected, displaced communities.

Intergenerational family conflict and ethnic identity among Chinese American college students.

There has been a call for increased attention to experiences of sociocultural contexts and their role in mental health and help-seeking among specific subgroups of Asian Americans (Leong, Park, & Kalibatseva, 2013). In particular, as suggested by the integrative contextual framework of minority youth development (García Coll & Marks, 2012), racial minority adolescents and emerging adults develop identity and psychological well-being through their experiences within multiple contexts. Guided by this perspective, the present study examined the role of specific developmental and contextual factors (e.g., acculturation-based intergenerational family conflict and ethnic identity) on depressive and anxiety symptoms and help-seeking attitudes among Chinese American college students. One-hundred and 73 Chinese American college students (132 women and 36 men) from various geographic regions in the U.S. completed a series of questionnaires administered online, assessing acculturation-based intergenerational family conflict, ethnic identity, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and help-seeking attitudes. The findings indicated that the seriousness of acculturation-based intergenerational family conflict and the commitment dimension of ethnic identity were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Additionally, the exploration dimension of ethnic identity was associated with less favorable attitudes toward seeking help from mental health professionals. There was no association between acculturation-based intergenerational family conflict and help-seeking attitudes. The findings underscore the importance of developing culturally informed interventions that attend to the intensity of family conflict and one's sense of connection to ethnic community in the college context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Asian Values, Intergenerational Conflict, Needs, and Attachment in Asian/Asian American Women’s Disordered Eating

I tested a path model that integrated cultural and psychological factors as predictors of disordered eating among Asian and Asian American college women. Asian values of honoring family through achievement and conformity to norms, and intergenerational family conflict due to acculturation gap were the cultural predictors. Psychological needs thwarting and anxious parental attachment were the indirect psychological factors through which the cultural factors predicted disordered eating. Two-hundred forty-four Asian and Asian American women participated in an online survey. Structural equation modeling analysis results indicated that the Asian value of honoring family through achievement and intergenerational family conflict were indirectly associated with both binge eating and restricted eating via thwarted psychological needs, but not via anxious parental attachment. The Asian value of conformity to norms was directly associated with restricted eating. These cultural factors need to be addressed when treating disordered eating among Asian/Asian America women.

Intergenerational family conflict and depressive symptoms: The buffering role of cognitive appraisal.

Intergenerational family conflict and depressive symptoms: The buffering role of cognitive appraisal.

The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults: Guideline V. Assessment of Cultural Factors.

(Excerpted from "The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults, Third Edition." Copyright © 2016, American Psychiatric Association. Reprinted with permission.).

Intergenerational continuity in high-conflict family environments: Investigating a mediating depressive pathway.

Emerging evidence suggests that family conflict shows continuity across generations and that intergenerational family conflict can be more intense and deleterious than conflict experienced in a single generation. However, few investigations have identified etiological mechanisms by which family conflict is perpetuated across generations. Addressing this limitation, we sampled 246 families from a multigenerational, high-risk, longitudinal study of parents (G1s) and their children (G2s), followed from adolescence to adulthood as well as the children (G3s) of G2 targets. Specifically, the current study examined whether G2s' depressive symptoms measured at multiple time points across development explained continuity in family conflict from 1 generation (G1-G2) to the next (G2-G3). Results revealed that after controlling for externalizing symptoms, depressive symptoms served as mediators of intergenerational family conflict in both men and women, but in different ways. Specifically, G2 women's young adulthood represented a period of vulnerability in which G2 depressive symptoms were especially likely to mediate intergenerational continuity in family conflict. Additionally, in both men and women, higher G1-G2 family conflict was associated with higher depressive symptoms that persisted from adolescence into young adulthood and then subsequently predicted the development of G2-G3 family conflict. Results did not support the hypothesis that G2 partner depressive symptoms moderated the relation between G2 depressive symptoms and G2-G3 family conflict. Implications of findings regarding the roles that G2 gender and G2 depressive symptoms play in the intergenerational transmission of family conflict are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Family and Social Cognitive Predictors of Southeast Asian American College Students’ Academic Satisfaction

Southeast Asian Americans have unique sociopolitical histories compared to other Asian American ethnic groups in the United States. These experiences may distinctly shape their academic experiences. Given the low academic attainment rates in this population, we tested a cultural and social cognitive model of academic satisfaction with a sample of 111 Southeast Asian American college students. Specifically, we examined the degree to which intergenerational family conflict and social cognitive factors (e.g., self-efficacy) related to academic satisfaction. We found that intergenerational family conflict was negatively related to family academic support. Contrary to expectations, family academic support and self-efficacy were not directly linked to academic satisfaction, family academic support was not directly linked to self-efficacy or outcome expectations, and outcome expectations was not linked to goal progress. Other social cognitive predictors were related directly and indirectly to academic satisfaction, consistent with prior research. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are addressed.

Loss of face, intergenerational family conflict, and depression among Asian American and European American college students.

Loss of face, intergenerational family conflict, and depression among Asian American and European American college students.

Mediating effect of intergenerational family conflict between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms

Depressive symptoms are one of the biggest mental health issues among Korean American adolescents. Previous studies have found that parental warmth and intergenerational family conflict have a major impact on depressive symptoms among Korean American adolescents. This cross-sectional study examines the mediation effects of intergenerational family conflict between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms among 97 Korean American adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old in the Pacific Northwest region. The results revealed that 60% of participants experienced depressive symptoms. In addition, mother-adolescent conflict significantly mediated between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms while father-adolescent conflict did not significantly mediate. The finding suggests the need to develop intervention programs for Korean American adolescents and their parents that focus on creating an understanding of the difference between Korean culture and American culture, identifying early signs of depressive symptoms, and decreasing intergenerational family conflict by teaching parents to express parental warmth effectively.

An evaluation of a groupwork intervention for teenage mothers and their families

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the implementation of a specific, community‐based, multi‐family group (MFG) intervention strategy (Families and Schools Together [FAST] babies) aimed at improving the outcomes for infants of teenage mothers in 11 Canadian communities. The aims of this social work group intervention were (1) to engage the teenage mothers into a socially inclusive experience that might challenge the social disapproval they often experience, (2) to enhance the mother–infant bond, while increasing feelings of parental efficacy, and (3) to enhance the social context of the teenage mother by reducing stress, social isolation and intergenerational family conflict. Groups were co‐led by teams of service users (a young mother, a grandmother of the baby of a teenage mother and a father of the baby of a teenage mother) collaborating with multi‐agency professionals (health visitors and social workers). Teams that reflected the ethnic diversity of the participating family members were trained to facilitate eight weekly group meetings. They showed respect for the young women's ‘voice’, and supported her ‘choice’ to prioritize motherhood as her defining identity. The meetings comprised a range of activities, including crafts and singing, discussion of ‘conflict scenarios’ in cross‐familial, cross‐generational groups, infant massage delivered to babies by the young mothers, grandmother support groups, and a shared community meal. Where necessary, teams made referrals for specialist help. One hundred twenty‐eight young mothers came once to 17 groups, and 90% graduated having attended a minimum of six sessions. Evaluation data from mothers and grandmothers showed positive change when comparing pre and post, based on standardized questionnaires. One‐tailed, paired t‐tests showed statistically significant increases in parental self‐efficacy for the teenage mothers, improved parent–child bonds, reductions in stress and family conflict, and increases in social support. Given that rates of teenage pregnancy in the UK are among the highest in Europe, this paper concludes with a discussion of the feasibility and possible merits of introducing FAST babies to England.

Asian values and perceptions of intergenerational family conflict among Asian American students.

This investigation explores the perceptions of intergenerational family conflict among 93 Asian American college students from immigrant families in relation to reported discrepancies in Asian values with their parents, behavioral acculturation, gender, and ethnicity (Chinese and Korean). The study is unique in its examination of parent gender and specific dimensions of Asian values as predictors of perceived parent-child conflict. The findings indicated that as discrepancies in Asian values with either parent increased, reports of parent-child conflict also increased. Values discrepancies, but not behavioral acculturation, were significantly associated with perceived family conflicts. Independent hierarchical regression models revealed a significant association between conflict ratings and values discrepancies with mothers on the dimension of Conforming to Family Norms, and with fathers on the dimension of Education/Career Issues. However, interaction effects within a combined model to test beta coefficients differences between parents were not significant. Results also suggest that intergenerational conflict may be associated with discrepancy on Respecting Elders. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

The Family Life and Adjustment of Hmong American Sons and Daughters

We examined gender differences in intergenerational family conflict and its associations with psychological and academic adjustment using a United States sample of 121 Hmong American first-year college students. Hmong women and men reported similar levels of family conflict. Family conflict was related to psychological distress, above and beyond neuroticism. Gender moderated the relationship between family conflict and substance usage and academic performance. For Hmong college men, higher family conflict was associated with lower rates of smoking and higher rates of completing the first year of college. For Hmong college women, higher family conflict was associated with greater likelihood of alcohol consumption in their lifetime.

Intergenerational Family Conflict and Coping Among Hmong American College Students.

Problem solving and social support, as different styles of coping with intergenerational family conflict, were examined among 86 Hmong American college students. Problem solving and social support were hypothesized to differentially moderate the effects of family conflict on psychological adjustment. Furthermore, the effects of attributions of blame on the adjustment of Hmong American college students were examined. Results indicate that social support buffered and problem solving enhanced the negative effects of family conflict on symptoms of distress but not on affect. Additionally, there were significant interaction effects between family conflict and self-blame on distress. Specifically, students who were more likely to blame themselves reported higher levels of distress.

Coping with intergenerational family conflict among Asian American college students.

Two coping strategies-problem solving and social support seeking-were hypothesized to differentially moderate the effects of intergenerational family conflict on well-being and adjustment in a college sample of 117 Asian American young adult children. Results indicated that social support served as a protective-stabilizing factor that buffered the effects of family conflict on positive affect and somatic distress. Problem-solving coping served as a protective-reactive factor that had a positive effect on positive affect when family conflict was low and a negative effect when family conflict was high. The potential implications of these findings for counseling and conducting research on Asian American college students are discussed.

Factors Influencing the Career Decision Status of Chinese American Youths

The purpose of this study was to understand how intergenerational family conflict and relational-interdependent self-construal influence the career decision status of Chinese American youths. Participants were 129 Chinese American youths, with ages ranging from 14 to 21 years. Results from regression analysis indicated that high intergenerational family conflict was predictive of career indecision. High relational-interdependent self-construal, on the other hand, was predictive of career certainty. Implications for counseling and future research are also discussed. Selecting a career can be a daunting task for many Chinese American youths who must balance their own interests with what is acceptable to their parents (Leong & Serafica, 1995). Career decision making is especially challenging for youths if their immigrant parents believe that only certain careers will lead their children to success. Due to the influx of Chinese immigrants into the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000), counseling professionals are increasingly likely to encounter firstor second-generation Chinese American youths seeking career guidance, because they tend to present with career concerns rather than personal problems (Tracey, Leong, & Glidden, 1986); therefore, it is important to gain a better understanding of the variables that influence their career decision-making process. In this study, we sought to understand how intergenerational family conflict and relationalinterdependent self-construal (defined as the tendency to think of oneself in terms of close others) influence the career decision status of Chinese American youths. Career decision status'is defined as the certainty or indecision about one's career choice (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976). Certainty and indecision are two variables that have been designed to assess career decision status. Career certainty refers to one's degree of certainty of having made a career decision. Career indecision refers to an inability to make a decision about the career that one wishes to pursue (Guay, Senecal, Gauthier, & Fernet, 2003). Career decision status has been used to assess an individual's career maturity (Crites, 1978; Levinson, Ohler, Caswell, & Kiewra, 1998; Patton & Creed, 2001). Lopez and Andrews (1987) suggested that career indecision was related to inadequate psychological separation of adolescents from their parents. Because many Western cultures consider independence from parents to be a major developmental task, it is likely that career counselors would view those who are not able to make independent career choice as less mature in terms of their career development (Leong, 1991 ). For example, because Asian Americans are more likely to follow their parents' suggestion for a career, they may be perceived as less career mature compared with their peers (Leong & Hardin, 2002). The idea of career maturity can certainly lead to a biased perception of Asian American adolescents. Previous studies suggest that Asian American college students demonstrated career attitudes that were less mature compared with their European American peers (Hardin, Leong, & Osipow, 2001; Leong, 1991 ). However, Hardin et al. suggested that because the definition and measurement of career maturity were grounded in White middle-class norms, they may not be valid for Asian Americans. Leong and Hardin stated that when examining the cultural validity of career development theories that are based on Western values, variables that are more specific to each culture should be considered. Because career decision status is an important component of career maturity, the current study was an attempt to understand career decision status from a perspective that is meaningful for Asian Americans. The first step was to identify culturally responsive variables that might influence career indecision and career certainty within cultural group. Due to the strong emphasis on family involvement (Leong & Hardin, 2002) and the collectivistic value orientation (Leong & Tata, 1990) in Chinese cultures, we decided to examine how family and one's notion of self as inextricably linked to others (Markus & Kitayama, 1991) influence Chinese youths' career decision status. …

Book: Review/Commentary: Handbook for Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Hispanic Populations

Handbook for Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Hispanic Populations, by Robert C. Freeman, Yvonne P. Lewis, and Hector Manuel Colon (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002), 368 pp., $72 (cloth only).One of the primary goals of drug abuse research is to predict outcomes such as addiction while controlling for or group differences. The identification of risk and protective attracts much scientific attention, and one assumes that ultimately this knowledge improves prevention and treatment efforts. The investigation of drug abuse among Latinos requires an especially nuanced conceptual and methodological framework that appropriately models a number of dimensions that determine within- and between-group variation. Drug type, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, Englishlanguage proficiency, national origin, race, gender, characteristics, and level may all be determinants of drug abuse among Hispanics.Acculturation is the level of cultural or incorporation of an to a foreign or receiving society; it is central to many studies of drug abuse among Latinos. The experience of transitioning into a new culture may lead to acculturation stress: social and psychological associated with the challenges of immigration, such as lower socioeconomic status, new social expectations, loss of ethnic identity, and intergenerational conflict. Acculturation influences socialization, social support networks, and protective factors.To contend with issues of demographic diversity and acculturation, drug abuse research with Latinos inevitably must utilize multilevel models that can account for personallevel (i.e., behavior, biology and neurobiology) and also include cultural and environmental that may lead to systematic differences (e.g., socioeconomic status).One of the most sophisticated models of how cultural adaptation influences drug abuse, and health behavior in general, can be found in the work of Vega and Gil (1999). This model seeks to account for observed differences in health outcomes between native-born adolescents and immigrant Hispanic adolescents. The model sorts factors into five categories: context of exit, accounting for the family's developmental stage and circumstances prior to exit; immigration experience, concerning the family's circumstances encountered upon exit and entrance; acculturation process and acculturation stress as experienced by the parents and children, and influenced by each member's level of assimilation; segmented assimilation of members into the local environment-for example, local housing and labor markets and school systems; and family stress resulting from loss of traditional customs, stress, and changing roles.De La Rosa (2002) also developed a model that accounts for the influence of on adolescent drug behavior. The outcomes in the model are alcohol, cigarette, and illicit substance abuse. It centers on a typology of cultural identity that contrasts the relative weight Latino and cultural influences might have on a Hispanic youth. adolescents can have a cultural identity that is Latino-low American, Latino-high American, high Latino-low American, or high Latino-high American. The model includes a host of mitigating factors that determine the level of acculturation stress experienced by Hispanic adolescents. These mitigating influences are individual factors and characteristics (for example, skin color, tolerance for change, and previous contact with American culture); family factors, including economic conditions and members' previous contact with American culture; and the community environment, which is affected by school conditions, economic opportunities, crime level, and cultural orientation. The responses to and the degree of coping with it are determined by the family of parent-child bonding and dysfunction; personality variables of low selfesteem, aggressive behavior, and anxiety; and peer factors, in particular the association with either deviant or nondeviant peers. …

Coping with intergenerational family conflict: Comparison of Asian American, Hispanic, and European American college students.

Using a stress-coping framework, the authors examined indirect and direct coping strategies as potential mediators in the relationship between intergenerational family conflict and psychological distress in Asian American, Hispanic, and European American college students. Asian American college students reported the highest likelihood of family conflict. Students from all cultural groups also used direct coping slightly more often than they did indirect coping. Only indirect coping mediated the effect of family conflict on distress for Asian Americans and European Americans, but it did so in the opposite direction than hypothesized. For these two cultural groups, indirect coping fully accounted for the variance shared between family conflict and psychological distress. For Hispanics, indirect coping partially mediated the effect of family conflict on psychological distress.

Coping with intergenerational family conflict: Comparison of Asian American, Hispanic, and European American college students.

Coping with intergenerational family conflict: Comparison of Asian American, Hispanic, and European American college students.

Acculturation and Risk Behavior among Pregnant Mexican American Females: A Structural Equation Model

The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model designed to predict risk behavior (i.e., cigarette and/or alcohol use) in a sample of Mexican American females who were pregnant and ranged in age from adolescence to early adulthood. The model consisted of six hypothesized predictors–acculturation status, intergenerational family conflict, acculturative stress, educational attainment, household income, and age of respondent, which were proposed as antecedents of risk behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to test both the direct and indirect effects for a set of proposed antecedents to the tendency for Mexican American females to engage in risk behaviors. Several of the hypothesized relationships were supported, with the strongest predictors of risk behavior being acculturation status, intergenerational family conflict, and acculturative stress. An important conclusion was that risk behavior by Mexican American females increased as they became more acculturated to the social circumstances of the U.S. Another notable result was that risk behavior increased among Mexican American females as they experienced higher levels of intergenerational conflict within their families.