Today's Date: March 28, 2024
80 M/other Artists Converge for MICAfest 2024 in Northampton, MA this May   •   Sypher Secures Strategic Partnership with FAIA to Fuel Growth   •   Planet to Provide Carbon Mapper, Inc. with Hyperspectral Data Until 2030   •   Equalpride Partners with TransLash Media for Trans Day of Visibility, Amplifying Voices of Black Trans Femmes in the Arts   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   John Legend to Perform at City Year Los Angeles’ 13th Annual Spring Break Event   •   Empire State Realty Trust Receives WELL Health-Safety Leadership Award; Becomes Among the First Commercial Office and Multifamil   •   Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Expands OTC Portfolio for Children with the Introduction of bébé Bottoms™   •   Jamieson Wellness Publishes Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report   •   Fastenal Releases 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report   •   Suffolk Kicks off 2024 “Build With Us @ Suffolk” Program in Boston for Trade Partners, Opening Doors for Minority-,   •   More $10-a-day child care spaces   •   Make-A-Wish and celebrity wish granters announce goal to recruit 1 million people to become "WishMakers"   •   PMI Foods Gives Easter Donation of 15,000 Pounds of Prime Rib to New Life Church in Arkansas   •   Torrid Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results and Initiates Fiscal 2024 Guidance   •   Visit Visalia Recognizes Autism Awareness Month in April   •   Pushing Policy: Women Uniting for Legislative Change; Four Trailblazing women at the forefront of the Quad Caucus   •   Carnegie Learning Named 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Finalist for Best Educational Game and Best AI Implementation in Ed Tech   •   Amerex Group Unveils Red Carter Swimwear's Revitalized Collection   •   VIRGIN HOTELS CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE TRAVEL FOR NEURODIVERSE TRAVELERS
Bookmark and Share

IMMIGRANTS OVERCOME GREAT ODDS TO RAISE CHILDREN IN FOREIGN LANDS, SAY RESEARCHERS

 

 

Extensive research into Asian immigrant families in special issue on family psychology

 

 

WASHINGTON – A recent surge in immigration rates has led psychologists to study how these families are coping and thriving in their adopted countries. In a special June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association, researchers report that close family ties are crucial for immigrants’ successful transition to their new country.

 

“The articles in this issue examine the psychological experiences of a diverse set of immigrant families and their children who arrive in North America, Europe and Israel from many corners of the world,” said Susan S. Chuang, PhD, of the University of Guelph in OntarioCanada. Chuang wrote the Introduction to the special issue, along with Uwe Gielen of Saint Francis College. “This research helps us to better understand the profound impact the immigration experience has on family relationships.”

 

Recent census data show that the number of immigrant children in the United States is growing rapidly. They account for approximately 20 percent of the child population, and that number is expected to increase to 30 percent by the year 2015. Asians are one of the fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in theUnited States, and several of the issue’s articles focused on these families and their struggles.  

 

This recent surge in immigration rates means more and more families are finding themselves struggling to adapt to new countries and cultures. These families and their children face a host of challenges, including discrimination, isolation and financial stresses, say psychologists who contributed to this special issue.

 

One study examined the impact of family financial stresses on the academic achievement of Chinese-American adolescents. Most of the parents in this study of 444 families had emigrated to the United States from China. The authors found that the teenagers who were more aware of their families’ economic woes were more likely to suffer depressive symptoms, especially older adolescents, and did worse in school than those who were not as affected by money problems.

 

A study found Chinese immigrant mothers of preschoolers were more likely to engage in high levels of authoritative parenting practices. Authoritative parenting involves developing a close, nurturing relationship with children while also maintaining a reasonably high level of expectations and guidelines. The findings showed an authoritative parenting style led to fewer behavior problems among the children in the study. The researchers point out that overall, Chinese parents are more accepting of authoritative parenting practices than previously thought.

 

Another longitudinal study determined that, within couples, Chinese-American parents were more consistent in their parenting messages to their children than were white American parents. White American parents were more accepting of their children’s behavior, perhaps in an effort to build up their children’s self-esteem. Chinese-American parents’ greater control of their children’s behavior was linked to fewer behavior problems.

 

One article also looked at how family obligations affected the mental health of hundreds of Chinese-American high school students in the San Franciscoarea. Students who were born in China felt more family obligation than students who were born in the United States. But, those who endorsed greater family obligation were less likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, the researchers found. 


“These findings highlight the important role of family obligation to Chinese-American adolescents’ mental health,” wrote the study’s lead author Linda Juang, PhD, of San Francisco State University.

 

Chuang, one of the special issue’s editors, said the issue’s other articles provide a unique glimpse of immigrant families from countries such as Russia and parts of Africa, who have arrived in other Western countries including Canada, Germany, Israel, Portugal, and the Netherlands. “Only by studying immigrant families and children across a broad range of societies can we accurately evaluate the research on immigrants to the United States,“ she said.

Special Issue: "Understanding Immigrant Families From Around the World: Introduction to the Special Issue," Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 23, No. 3.

Articles:

“Understanding Immigrant Families From Around the World: Introduction to the Special Issue” - http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/fam233275.pdf

Contact Susan Chuang by e-mail at schuang@uoguelph.ca; phone number is 519-824-4120.

 

“Family Economic Stress and Academic Well-Being Among Chinese-American Youth: The Influence of Adolescents’ Perceptions of Economic Strain”http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/fam233279.pdf

Contact Rashmita Mistry by e-mail at mistry@gseis.ucla.edu; phone numbers are 818-269-0377 and 310-825-6569.

 

“Authoritative Parenting Among Immigrant Chinese Mothers of Preschoolers”

 http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/fam233311.pdf

Contact Charissa Cheah by e-mail at ccheah@umbc.edu; phone number is 410-455-1059.

 

“Relations Among Parental Acceptance and Control and Children’s Social Adjustment in Chinese American and European American Families”

http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/fam233321.pdf

Contact Carol Huntsinger by e-mail at huntsinger@niu.edu; phone numbers are 847-362-0940 (home) and 847-609-3748 (cell).

 

“A Longitudinal Study of Family Obligation and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese American Adolescents”

http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/fam233396.pdf

Contact Linda Juang by e-mail at juanglin@yahoo.com

Contact Jeff Cookston by e-mail at cookston@sfsu.edu; his phone number is 415-377-8807.

 

 

The American Psychological Association, in WashingtonD.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in theUnited States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

 

 



Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News