Christy Y. Y. Leung

Authoritative Parenting Among Immigrant Chinese Mothers of Preschoolers

The goals of this study were: (a) to examine authoritative parenting style among Chinese immigrant mothers of young children, (b) to test the mediational mechanism between authoritative parenting style and childrens outcomes; and (c) to evaluate 3 predictors of authoritative parenting style (psychological well-being, perceived support in the parenting role, parenting stress). Participants included 85 Chinese immigrant mothers and their preschool children. Mothers reported on their parenting style, psychological well-being, perceived parenting support and stress, and childrens hyperactivity/attention. Teacher ratings of child adjustment were also obtained. Results revealed that Chinese immigrant mothers of preschoolers strongly endorsed the authoritative parenting style. Moreover, authoritative parenting predicted increased childrens behavioral/attention regulation abilities (lower hyperactivity/inattention), which then predicted decreased teacher rated child difficulties. Finally, mothers with greater psychological well-being or parenting support engaged in more authoritative parenting, but only under conditions of low parenting stress. Neither well-being nor parenting support predicted authoritative parenting when parenting hassles were high. Findings were discussed in light of cultural- and immigration-related issues facing immigrant Chinese mothers of young children.

Surgency and negative affectivity, but not effortful control, are uniquely associated with obesogenic eating behaviors among low-income preschoolers

Despite increased attention to the role of temperament in childrens obesogenic eating behaviors, there is a paucity of research examining whether different dimensions of temperament may be differentially associated with specific eating behaviors among preschool-age children. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether three temperament dimensions (surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control) were uniquely associated with six obesogenic eating behaviors (caregiver-reported food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, emotional overeating, satiety responsiveness, and tantrums over food; and observed eating in the absence of hunger) among low-income preschool-age children, covarying home environment quality. Results showed that temperament dimensions were differentially associated with different eating behaviors. Specifically, preschoolers with higher surgency were more likely to overeat in response to external cues, have frequent desire to eat, derive pleasure from food, and eat in the absence of hunger. In contrast, preschoolers with higher negative affectivity were more likely to have tantrums over being denied food and less likely to eat in the absence of hunger. Effortful control was not uniquely associated with obesogenic eating behavior. Findings remained significant even when home chaos was accounted for, suggesting that child surgency and negative affectivity are important to consider, independent of home environment. Results are discussed with regard to theoretical implications for the study of childhood obesity and for applied prevention implications.

Low-income pre-schoolers with higher temperamental surgency enjoy and respond more to food, mediating the path to higher body mass index.

Temperament is associated with obesity risk. However, the mechanisms linking temperament and eating behaviour to childhood adiposity are unclear.

Oxytocin and parenting behavior among impoverished mothers with low vs. high early life stress

Recent work suggests that key aspects of sensitive parenting (e.g., warmth, emotional attunement) may be shaped in part by biology, specifically the neuropeptide oxytocin. However, some studies have found that oxytocin may not act in expected ways in higher-risk populations (e.g., those with postnatal depression or borderline personality disorder). This study examined the relation between oxytocin and parenting among mothers with varying levels of early life stress. Forty low-income mothers and their 34- to 48-month-old child participated in this study. Mother-child dyads were observed in an interaction task in their home, and videos of these interactions were later coded for parenting behaviors. Mothers’ oxytocin production before and after the interaction task was assessed through saliva. Mothers’ early stress was assessed via the Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACES; Felitti et al. Am J Prev Med 14:245–258, 1998). For mothers with low ACEs, higher oxytocin secretion was associated with more positive parenting. For mothers with high ACEs, higher oxytocin secretion was associated with lower levels of positive parenting. Oxytocin may be operating differently for mothers who experienced harsh early social environments, supporting more defensive behaviors and harsh parenting than anxiolytic and prosocial behaviors.

The Socialization Areas in Which European American and Chinese Immigrant Mothers Express Warmth and Control

SYNOPSIS Objective. The present study examined specific situations in which European American and Chinese immigrant mothers to the United States expressed warmth and control with their young children. Design. Ninety-four European American and 90 Chinese immigrant mothers of children ages 3–6 from middle-class families were interviewed. Results. European American and Chinese immigrant mothers viewed children’s independence, educational, social, emotional, and moral development as important. Specifically, mothers from both cultural groups discussed expressing warmth toward their children when: (1) structuring their children’s daily schedules and routines, (2) doing activities with their children, (3) their children experience difficulties, (4) being close, showing intimacy and communicating with their children, (5) their children engage in positive behaviors, and (6) educating their children. Mothers also similarly discussed utilizing control when: (1) structuring their children’s daily schedules and routines, (2) ensuring their child’s safety, (3) their children engage in difficult behaviors, (4) their children interact with others, (5) educating their children, and (6) their children experience moral-related issues. However, mothers differentially endorsed four out of six situations of when they expressed warmth and four out of six situations of when they exerted control. Specifically, European American mothers emphasized expressing warmth and control about Western cultural values of individuality, open-expression, and respect. In contrast, Chinese immigrant mothers emphasized expressing warmth and control about psychological interdependence and Confucian-based values of group harmony and child obedience. Conclusions. This study highlights culturally shared and distinct socialization priorities that European American and Chinese immigrant mothers emphasize during early childhood.

The Complexities of Parental Control Among Chinese American Mothers: The Role of Acculturation

The meaning and function of parental control may vary across different cultures. Acculturation may motivate immigrant parents to modify their parenting in order to achieve effectiveness with their childrearing practices. Nevertheless, the associations between acculturation and parenting in Chinese American families are inconclusive. We explored 80 first-generation Chinese immigrant mothers’ conceptualizations of control in the United States using interviews. Findings revealed cultural priorities in these mothers’ rationale for and method of exerting control over their young children that reflected the psychological/emotional interdependence family pattern. We also examined the associations between mother-reports psychological and behavioral acculturation toward their heritage and the mainstream cultures and their reasons for and strategies of exerting control. Mothers’ psychological acculturation and behavioral acculturation toward their heritage versus mainstream culture were differentially associated with their reasons and practices. Suggestions for future research to build upon our understanding of parental control in Chinese American populations were discussed.

Development of the Survey of Parent/Provider Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK).

This study reported the development and initial validation of the Survey of Parent/Provider Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK), a self-administered questionnaire assessing expectations and knowledge about early childhood cognitive and language development. Development of the SPEAK was guided by the theory emphasizing the role of language input quality in young children’s language development. Items were refined through cognitive interviews (N = 29), expert consultations, and the first field test (N = 131). Rasch analysis following the second field test (N = 346) resulted in a 17-item SPEAK (α = .84); expert review confirmed its content validity. A third field test with low-income caregivers (N = 103) showed that higher SPEAK scores were correlated with higher education, receptive language ability, stronger endorsement of incremental mindset, and more language stimulation available to the child at home, supporting its concurrent validity. Findings provided preliminary evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the SPEAK to assess expectations and knowledge of early childhood cognitive and language development.

Educating Parents About Infant Language Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial:

A total of 427 women (aged 18-45 years) who delivered a singleton neonate without serious medical complications were randomized to watch either an educational intervention (n = 225) or the sudden infant death syndrome (n = 202) video. Linear mixed models showed that the intervention women significantly gained knowledge over time. Knowledge gain was largest among high–socioeconomic status (high-SES) and middle-SES English-speaking, smaller among low-SES Spanish-speaking, and nonsignificant among low-SES English-speaking women. Analysis of deviance revealed that the intervention women of all SES learned strategies fostering secure attachment and language acquisition. Participants considered watching an educational video alongside the universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) conveniently timed. The intervention women were more likely than the control women to recognize the importance of timely UNHS follow-up.