Parent-Child Relationships in Vietnamese Immigrant Families

This study assessed 49 Vietnamese-born and 124 American-born university students' views of their parental relationships and personal characteristics. Questionnaire packets were also returned by 221 of their parents. Vietnamese-born students reported a lower quality of parental relationships and less social integration than did American-born students. Mothers, but not fathers, of Vietnamese-born students perceived less available social support than did their American-born counterparts. More positive parent-student relationships were predicted by membership in the American-born group, even after personal characteristics of both students and parents were taken into account. Vietnamese-born male students were at particular risk for poor paternal relationships. The study showed the need to consider implications of immigrant experience as well as personal characteristics in understanding parent-child relationships in immigrant groups.