Intrusive Parenting in Chinese American Immigrant Families: Relations With Cultural Orientations and Children's Adjustment

This multimethod study examined associations between observed and parent- and child-reported intrusive parenting, parent and child cultural orientations, and children's adjustment in a socioeconomically diverse sample of Chinese American immigrant families. Participants were 239 Chinese American school-age children (Mage = 9.19 years and range = 7.49-10.96 years) and their parents from first- and second-generation immigrant families. Parents and children reported on parents' intrusive parenting and their own cultural orientations, and parents and teachers reported on children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Observed intrusive parenting behaviors were coded from videotaped parent-child conflict discussions. Findings from path analysis indicated that there was a unique positive association between child Chinese orientation and child-reported intrusive parenting, a unique negative association between parents' American orientation and child-reported intrusive parenting, and a unique positive association between child American orientation and observed intrusive parenting. Intrusive parenting was negatively associated with child adjustment, but associations varied depending on measurement. Findings suggest that different measures of intrusive parenting are differentially associated with children's adjustment in Chinese American immigrant families. What is the public significance of this article? The present study examines intrusive parenting in Chinese American families using self-report measures and observational approaches, and the findings suggest that different measures of intrusive parenting are differentially associated with children's adjustment. This study highlights the importance of using a multimethod and multireporter approach in understanding the associations between parenting behaviors and child outcomes.