Acculturation, Parenting, and Child Well-Being Among Vietnamese Immigrant Families: Moving Toward a Better Understanding of Family Dynamics

Acculturation among Vietnamese immigrant families involves a variety of behavioral adaptations and changes in perspective. Numerous challenges accompany the acculturation process, including learning a new language, adapting to new cultural norms, securing employment, adjusting to a new environment, and having little social and family support. For parents, additional acculturation challenges arise when raising children. A combination of acculturation problems resulting in disruptions in family life, socioeconomic problems, as well as social isolation may place Vietnamese parents and their children at high risk for involvement in the child welfare system. While relatively limited in comparison to other ethnic minority groups, a handful research with Vietnamese immigrant families have shown the connections between acculturation, parenting, and child wellbeing. However, research has not addressed why these connections exist or how the unique contextual stressors that Vietnamese immigrant groups experience come to influence acculturation processes, parenting, and family dynamics.  This study sought to address this gap by using an exploratory case study design. 

In order to develop a deep, nuanced understanding of the context, participants for the study were selected based on the following criteria: 1) Families who have been reported to the child welfare system for suspected child maltreatment and were referred to a diversion program (i.e. the child was not removed from the home, and the family was offered supportive services); 2) Families with a focal child (either male or female) of 7 to 11 years of age; and 3) Families who have successfully completed the diversion program. Seven Vietnamese immigrant families voluntarily participated in this study. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with the mother, father, and focal child of each case and three non-participant observations along with detailed fieldnotes per family to provide a greater understanding of context. Vietnamese bilingual/bicultural research assistants conducted the interviews in Vietnamese and recorded with permission. The recorded transcripts were translated into English and back-translated to ensure credibility and accuracy of data. This study included 18 interviews (two were single-parent families) and 21 in-home observations/fieldnotes.

By using a thematic analysis approach, the study found that participating Vietnamese immigrant parents are not well-educated and have poor English-language skills. This prohibits them from fostering a link between what is taught at home and what their child is being taught in school and also limits their involvement with their child’s schooling. This limited involvement appears to reduce the quality of familial relationships. The data also showed that Vietnamese parents experience some stress as immigrants, including the stress of learning a new language, adjusting to a new environment, and finding housing. In addition, most parents reported that they adhere to traditional Vietnamese values and use the same parenting style that was used in their own upbringings in Vietnam.

The findings of this study help point to specific areas of need among Vietnamese parents regarding acculturation, parenting, and social support. Thus, this study has the potential to initiate the development of culturally appropriate parent training and support programs, as well as other culturally competent services focused on strengthening Vietnamese immigrant families.