Risk Factors Related to Harsh Parenting Among Asian-American Mothers

Background: Researchers in child welfare have examined various risk and protective factors related to harsh parenting that might lead to child maltreatment.  One of the factors that may affect childrearing practice is cultural value and belief.  Previous studies have focused on the comparisons of childrearing cultures and practices among white, African-American, and Hispanic parents, while a fast-growing minority population, Asian American parents, has been understudied.  More culturally-sensitive and culturally-based knowledge on this population is necessary to prevent and intervene for child maltreatment risks.  To fill the gap in the child welfare literature, the present study explored the characteristics of Asian American mothers and the risk factors associated with their harsh parenting.    

Methods: This study used the data from 425 Asian American mothers who resided in New York. Each participant had a face-to-face interview survey with a licensed bi-lingual social worker.  The survey questions included: (1) cultural values; (2) childrearing practices and beliefs; (3) parental stress and mastery; (4) child discipline; (5) feelings of being a parent and social support; (6) life experiences; and (7) family demographic information.  In this study, harsh parenting was measured by four proxies: (1) psychological aggression; (2) physical aggression; (3) neglect; and (4) spanking.  Key independent variables were: (1) beliefs on the outcomes of physical punishment; (2) familism; (3) stress; and (4) parent’s own abuse history as a child.

Results: The average age of mothers was 39.78 years (SD=6.4) and ranged from 21 to 62.  More than 55% of mothers had some college or higher degree of education.  The average number of children that mothers had was 1.97 (SD=0.91; range 1-6).  Multivariate analysis results showed that if mothers believed that the outcomes of physical punishment would be positive, they were more likely to engage in psychological aggression, physical aggression and spanking.  If participants had a higher sense of familism (e.g., all adults should be respected), they were more likely to engage in physical aggression or spank the child.  Stress was a significant predictor for psychological and physical aggression as well as neglect.  Lastly, if mothers indicated that they experienced abuse as a child, they were more likely to engage in psychological aggression, physical aggression, and spanking.

Conclusions: The findings from this study imply that community-based child welfare agencies may provide educational programs to clarify the potential outcomes of physical punishment for Asian American families.  Cultural values and beliefs should be understood by professionals (e.g., social work, public health, medicine) while acknowledging that there are variances not only between different ethnic groups but also within an ethnic group.  Different parenting styles (e.g., authoritative rather than authoritarian) and alternative “discipline” styles such as social learning concepts (e.g., reinforcements) can be introduced.  Interventions addressing positive ways to release stress may be essential in reducing the risk for child maltreatment among Asian American families.  Importantly, screening for child abuse history of parents (e.g., whether parents were abused when they were young) may be a key indicator for preventing an intergenerational child maltreatment.