Journal article
Immigrant Chinese Parents in New York Chinatowns: Acculturation Gap and Psychological Adjustment
Asian American journal of psychology
07 Apr 2022
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Acculturation is challenging for Chinese immigrant parents who have different linguistic and cultural experiences from their adolescent children. Yet, there is little research investigating the roles of acculturation and acculturation gap in the psychological adjustment of Chinese immigrant parents from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The present study is the first study to simultaneously examine the impacts of Chinese immigrant parents' acculturation, their adolescent children's acculturation, and the parent-adolescent acculturation gap on the psychological adjustment of Chinese immigrant parents in a low-income context. This study includes 225 Chinese immigrant parents (M-age = 42.93, SD = 5.97; 77% females) in New York City Chinatowns and their middle and high school-aged adolescent children (M-age = 13.77, SD = 2.27; 46% female; 75% US-born). The parents completed questionnaires that assessed their own acculturation and their perception of their adolescent children's acculturation regarding English proficiency, American cultural acquisition, Chinese proficiency, and Chinese cultural maintenance. The parents also reported their psychological adjustment regarding self-esteem, life satisfaction, and depression. Multivariate regression showed that higher parental self-esteem was associated with higher adolescents' English proficiency and a smaller parent-adolescent gap in English proficiency. Higher parental life satisfaction was associated with higher parents' English proficiency, higher adolescents' English proficiency, and a smaller parent-adolescent gap in Chinese proficiency. Lower parental depression was associated with higher parents' American cultural acquisition. This study highlights that both acculturation at the individual level and the acculturation gap at the family level have important impacts on the psychological adjustment of Chinese immigrant parents in a low-income context.
What is the public significance of this article? This study finds that both acculturation at the individual level and the parent-adolescent acculturation gap at the family level influence the psychological adjustment of Chinese immigrant parents in a low-income context. The findings from this study will expand the knowledge of mental health and social service providers and thus contributes to the psychological well-being of Asian American communities.
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Details
- Title
- Immigrant Chinese Parents in New York Chinatowns: Acculturation Gap and Psychological Adjustment
- Creators
- Xinwei Zhang - Lehigh Univ, Dept Educ & Human Serv, Iacocca Hall,111 Res Dr, Bethlehem, PA 18015 USAPeggy A. Kong - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Asian American journal of psychology
- Publisher
- Educational Publishing Foundation-American Psychological Assoc
- Number of pages
- 11
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000778677000001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85130620068
- Other Identifier
- 991019168093404721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ethnic Studies
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary