Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neighborhood Environment, Cultural Orientation, and Parenting: Understanding the Intergenerational Conflict in Asian Immigrant Families

  • Published:
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Intergenerational conflict is endemic and has substantial individual, familial, and societal consequences. However, few studies discussed the influences of the neighborhood environment on intergenerational conflicts among Asian immigrant families. To fill this research gap, the proposed study examined links among neighborhood environment, cultural orientation, parenting stress, social support, and intergenerational conflicts. Two datasets were used in this secondary data analysis: 2011–2017 Study of Asian American Families (SAAF) and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (N = 849). Structural equation model was conducted. Findings suggested that cultural orientation, social support, and parenting stress fully mediated the influences from the neighborhood environment on Intergenerational conflict in Asian immigrant families.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data from the Study of Asian American Families (SAAF) and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, which is a published dataset. The SAAF data was developed and provided by Dr. Fuhua Zhai, Fordham University.

References

  • Abdi, F., Bergren, S., Lanza, L., & Dong, X. (2021). Intergenerational conflict among asian immigrant families and psychological well-being: Results from PIETY study. Innovation in Aging, 5(Suppl 1), 788.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Abidin, R. R. (1990). Parenting stress index-short form (p. 118). Pediatric Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrera, M. (1986). Distinctions between social support concepts, measures, and models. American Journal of Community Psychology., 14(4), 413–445. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00922627.S2CID144597839

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1984). The determinants of parenting: A process model. Child Development, 55(1), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.2307/1129836

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). Contexts of child rearing: Problems and prospects. American Psychologist, 34(10), 844. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cassells, R. C., & Evans, G. W. (2017). Parental stress and early child development.

  • Castellini, F., Colombo, M., Maffeis, D., & Montali, L. (2011). Sense of community and interethnic relations: Comparing local communities varying in ethnic heterogeneity. Journal of Community Psychology, 39(6), 663–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costigan, C. L., & Koryzma, C. M. (2011). Acculturation and adjustment among immigrant Chinese parents: Mediating role of parenting efficacy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(2), 183. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021696

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coulton, C. J., Crampton, D. S., Irwin, M., Spilsbury, J. C., & Korbin, J. E. (2007). How neighborhoods influence child maltreatment: A review of the literature and alternative pathways. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(11–12), 1117–1142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuellar, I., Arnold, B., & Gonzalez, G. (1995). Cognitive referents of acculturation: Assessment of cultural constructs in Mexican Americans. Journal of Community Psychology, 23(4), 339–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deater-Deckard, K., Chen, N., & El Mallah, S. (2013). Parenting Stress. obo in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199828340-0142

  • Elder Jr, G. H., Eccles, J. S., Ardelt, M., & Lord, S. (1995). Inner-city parents under economic pressure: Perspectives on the strategies of parenting. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 771–784.

  • Franco, M. L., Pottick, J. K., & Huang, C. C. (2010). Early parenthood in a community context: Neighborhood conditions, race–ethnicity, and parenting stress. Journal of Community Psychology, 38(5), 574–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia, A. S., Ren, L., Esteraich, J. M., & Raikes, H. H. (2017). Influence of child behavioral problems and parenting stress on parent–child conflict among low-income families: The moderating role of maternal nativity. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 63(3), 311–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, J. S. (2001). The relationships between recreation participation patterns, self-esteem, and acculturation among Korean adults. The University of New Mexico.

  • Koeske, G. F., & Koeske, R. D. (1990). The buffering effect of social support on parental stress. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 60(3), 440–451.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kung, W. W. (2003). Chinese Americans’ help seeking for emotional distress. Social Service Review, 77(1), 110–134. https://doi.org/10.1086/345707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kung, W. W. (2004). Cultural and practical barriers to seeking mental health treatment for Chinese Americans. Journal of Community Psychology, 32(1), 27–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.10077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, R., Choe, J., Kim, G., & Neg, V. (2000). Construction of the Asian American family acculturation conflicts scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(2), 211–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.47.2.211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levitt, M. J., Lane, J. D., & Levitt, J. (2005). Immigration stress, social support, and adjustment in the first postmigration year: An intergenerational analysis. Research in Human Development, 2(4), 159–177. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15427617rhd0204_1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim, S.-L., Yeh, M., Liang, J., Lau, A. S., & McCabe, K. (2008). Acculturation gap, intergenerational conflict, parenting style, and youth distress in immigrant Chinese American families. Marriage & Family Review, 45(1), 84–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494920802537530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, S. W., Zhai, F., & Gao, Q. (2017). Parental acculturation and parenting in Chinese immigrant families: The mediating role of social support. China Journal of Social Work, 10(2–3), 203–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/17525098.2017.1416992

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, S., Zhai, F., & Gao, Q. (2020). Parental stress and parenting in Chinese immigrant families: The mediating role of social support. Child & Family Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maguire-Jack, K., & Showalter, K. (2016). The protective effect of neighborhood social cohesion in child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect, 52, 29–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, E. M., Azar, S. T., & Matthews, S. A. (2018). How does the neighborhood “come through the door?” Concentrated disadvantage, residential instability, and the home environment for preschoolers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 61(1–2), 218–228.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McCloskey, R., & Pei, F. (2019). The role of parenting stress in mediating the relationship between neighborhood social cohesion and depression and anxiety among mothers of young children in fragile families. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22160

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Min, P. G. (2002). The second generation: Ethnic identity among Asian Americans (Vol. 9). Rowman Altamira.

  • Moilanen, K. L., Shaw, D. S., & Maxwell, K. L. (2010). Developmental cascades: Externalizing, internalizing, and academic competence from middle childhood to early adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 22(3), 635–653.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Park, M. S. (2001). The factors of child physical abuse in Korean immigrant families. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25(7), 945–958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pei, F., Wang, Y., Wu, Q., Shockley McCarthy, K., & Wu, S. (2020a). The roles of neighborhood social cohesion, peer substance use, and adolescent depression in adolescent substance use. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104931

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pei, F., Wang, Y., Zhai, F., & Gao, Q. (2020b). Neighborhood disorganization, parenting stress, and childrearing beliefs toward physical punishment among Asian American parents. Family & Community Health, 43(2), 170–181. https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pei, F., Yoon, S., Maguire-Jack, K., & Lee, M. Y. (2022a). Neighborhood influences on early childhood behavioral problems: Child maltreatment as a mediator. Child Abuse & Neglect, 123, 105391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pei, F., Yoon, S., Maguire-Jack, K., & Lee, M. Y. (2022). Neighborhood influences on early childhood behavioral problems: Child maltreatment as a mediator. Child Abuse & Neglect. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinderhughes, E. E., Nix, R., Foster, E. M., Jones, D., Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2001). Parenting in context: Impact of neighborhood poverty, residential stability, public services, social networks, and danger on parental behaviors. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(4), 941–953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin, D. B., Way, N., & Mukherjee, P. (2008). The other side of the model minority story: The familial and peer challenges by Chinese American adolescents. Youth & Society, 39, 480–506. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X08314233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raikes, H. A., & Thompson, R. A. (2005). Efficacy and social support as predictors of parenting stress among families in poverty. Infant Mental Health Journal: Official Publication of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, 26(3), 177–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riina, E. M., Lippert, A., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2016). Residential instability, family support, and parent–child relationships among ethnically diverse urban families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78(4), 855–870.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. J., & Groves, W. B. (1989). Community structure and crime: Testing social-disorganization theory. American Journal of Sociology, 94(4), 774–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, C. R., & McKay, H. D. (1942). Juvenile delinquency and urban areas.

  • Taylor, S. E. (2011). Social support: A review. Retrieved from: https://taylorlab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/11/2011_Social-support_A-review.pdf

  • Tsai, J. L., & Chentsova-Dutton, Y. (2002). Models of cultural orientation: Differences between American-born and overseas-born Asians. Asian American mental health: Assessment theories and methods (pp. 95–106). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Urick, M. J., Hollensbe, E. C., Masterson, S. S., & Lyons, S. T. (2017). Understanding and managing intergenerational conflict: An examination of influences and strategies. Work, Aging and Retirement, 3(2), 166–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Breda, A. D. (2001). Resilience theory: A literature review. Pretoria, South Africa: South African Military Health Service.

  • Wang, Y., Zhai, F., Gao, Q., & Pei, F. (2021). Cultural orientations and parental distress among Chinese immigrants in the United States: The mediating role of parent–child acculturation conflict. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 31(3), 205–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, M., Haydon, K. C., & Miller, M. J. (2013). The relationship between intergenerational cultural conflict and social support among Asian American and Asian international female college students and their parents. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 4(3), 193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yen, I. H., Michael, Y. L., & Perdue, L. (2009). Neighborhood environment in studies of health of older adults: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 37(5), 455–463.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, A. S., Zhai, F., Gao, Q., & Solomon, P. (2021). Parenting stress and risks of child maltreatment among Asian immigrant parents: Does social support moderate the effects? Asian American Journal of Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/aap0000251

  • Yu, J., Cheah, C. S., & Calvin, G. (2016). Acculturation, psychological adjustment, and parenting styles of Chinese immigrant mothers in the United States. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 22(4), 504. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000091

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y. L., & Tsai, J. L. (2014). The assessment of acculturation, enculturation, and culture in Asian-American samples. In Guide to psychological assessment with Asians (pp. 75–101). Springer.

  • Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This document includes data from the Study of Asian American Families (SAAF) and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, which is a published dataset. The SAAF data was developed and provided by Dr. Fuhua Zhai, Fordham University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Syracuse University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Fei Pei, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, School of Social Work, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, School of Social Work, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Fei Pei, Nancy R. Mudrick & Christine Harris

  2. Department of Social Work, China Youth University of Political Studies, Beijing, China

    Yixuan Wang

  3. Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, Bronx, USA

    Fuhua Zhai

  4. School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, USA

    Qin Gao

Authors
  1. Fei Pei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yixuan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nancy R. Mudrick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christine Harris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Fuhua Zhai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Qin Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fei Pei.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

All authors of this study have no financial or other conflicts of interest and no funding received for this manuscript. We have complied with APA ethical principles in their treatment of individuals participating in the research, program, or policy described in the manuscript.

Human Participants and/or Animals

IRB exemption is approved by Syracuse University IRB committee. Also, no human participants and/or animals concerns exist in this study.

Informed Consent

This is a secondary data analysis study so no informed consent is involved with participants.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pei, F., Wang, Y., Mudrick, N.R. et al. Neighborhood Environment, Cultural Orientation, and Parenting: Understanding the Intergenerational Conflict in Asian Immigrant Families. Child Adolesc Soc Work J (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-023-00949-6

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-023-00949-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation