Thesis (Ph.D.)--City University of New York, 1998. / Adviser: John Brenkman. Includes bibliographical references.

Chinese-American parents are parenting within two cultures: the mainstream American culture and their heritage Chinese culture. This study examined parental cultural orientations toward the American and Chinese cultures, and the implications for parenting practices among Chinese-American families. Parenting dimensions examined were both culture-general measures (parental warmth, punitive parenting, non-democratic parenting) and culture-specific measure (parental endorsement of family obligations). Data came from a two-wave survey of about 400 Chinese-American families (one target adolescent, mother, and father). First, within each wave, the study examined the concurrent relationships between parenting practices and adolescent depressive symptoms. Second, this study examined, concurrently and longitudinally, whether parental cultural orientations were associated with parenting practices both directly and indirectly through two mediating factors: parents' bicultural management difficulty and depressive symptoms. Analyses were conducted separately for mothers and fathers. First, study findings showed that parenting practices characterized by higher levels of warmth, strong endorsement of family obligations, and lower levels of punitive and non-democratic behaviors were associated with fewer depressive symptoms in adolescents. Second, the study demonstrated significant direct relationships between both Chinese and American orientations and parenting practices. While American orientation was related to effective parenting (more warmth, low punitiveness, low non-democratic parenting), Chinese orientation was related to effective parenting (more warmth, low non-democratic parenting, strong endorsement of family obligations) as well as ineffective parenting (high punitiveness). This study also showed that parents' bicultural management difficulty and depressive symptoms mediated the relationships between acculturation and culture-general parenting measures (warmth, punitiveness, and nondemocratic parenting). It was through these two mediators (bicultural management difficulty and parental depressive symptoms) that (1) Chinese orientation was related to less warmth, high punitive and non-democratic parenting and (2) American orientation was related to more warmth, low punitive and non-democratic parenting. Lastly, there was some evidence of longitudinal relationships (father's American orientation at w1 predicted more warmth at w2; mother's American orientation at w1 predicted low punitiveness at w2 through the mediating factors of bicultural management difficulty and depressive symptoms at w1). The study suggests that parental psychological maladjustment is a promising area for interventions to promote parenting and adolescent development among ChineseAmerican families.

Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-224). Also available online in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Michigan, 1999. / Chair: Renée R. Anspach. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 415-433). Also available on microfiche.

Theoretical models of parenting that explain parenting behaviors (e.g., Belsky's (1984) model) generally lack consideration of cultural variables among various ethnic groups, particularly Chinese Americans. One such concept is guan that literally means training (Chao, 1994) (or called training parenting attitude in the present study). Moreover, literature has shown that acculturation and family socioeconomic status significantly influence parenting attitudes and behaviors pertaining to various forms of punitive parenting, namely, authoritarian parenting, corporal punishment, and child physical abuse among the Chinese American population. The training parenting attitude (as a culture-specific parenting attitude) and disciplinary belief (as a traditional parenting attitude) are taken into consideration in the proposed theoretical models of parenting for Chinese Americans.One hundred and seventeen Chinese American mothers who have at least one child in the age range of 4 to 12 years old participated in this study. Structural equation modeling was used to test viable models of punitive parenting. Results indicated that the originally proposed primary model was incorrectly specified. The primary model was then respecified and re-estimated by eliminating the unreliable measures and correlating between the error terms of some observed variables. Consistent with the theory of planned behavior, results indicated that Chinese American mothers with favorable attitudes toward authoritarian parenting were more likely to engage in authoritarian parenting behavior. However, neither acculturation nor family socioeconomic status was found to significantly influence either parenting attitudes or behaviors pertaining to authoritarian parenting. Discriminant function analysis was performed to predict thelevels of engagement (i.e., presence or absence) in corporal punishment and physical abuse from a set of predictors. Findings revealed that only the discriminant function for corporal punishment was significant. Authoritarian parenting and disciplinary belief were found to be the most significant predictors of the levels of engagement in corporal punishment.Further research is needed to explore the predictors for the engagement in authoritarian parenting, corporal punishment, and child physical abuse among the Chinese American population. In addition, professionals should interpret parenting behaviors in terms of the cultural meaning of Chinese American parents. Finally, the limitations of the present study include the lack of access to a diversified sample, self-report bias, low reliabilities of some measures, and the weaknesses of structural equation modeling along with discriminant function analysis. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

Class of 2009 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To evaluate an educational booklet written in Chinese designed for Chinese-Americans with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Healthcare professionals who work with Chinese-American patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and proficiency in writing Chinese developed an educational booklet on Type 2 diabetes. An expert panel of Chinese American pharmacists and dietitians evaluated the booklet by rating language appropriateness, ease of reading, ease of locating information, overall presentation of the booklet, and usefulness of the booklet in a practice setting. Topics of the booklet were assessed for accuracy, relevance, and irrelevance. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 8 healthcare professionals. In the expert panel, there were five pharmacists and three dietitians. Of the three dietitians, two were certified diabetes educator. The panel rated the booklet very highly; the mean overall rating was 22.4(±1.2) with 25 being the highest possible score. Overall, 100% of the evaluators would recommend this booklet for patients in their setting. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals found the booklet to be accurate, culturally relevant, and useful for their Chinese- American patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the patients’ perceptions of the lived experience as recipients of culturally competent nursing care related to their cultural values, customs, and health beliefs. A review of the literature revealed that culturally competent nursing care is the basis of providing holistic, individualized care. However, as culturally competent care has gained momentum in recent years, healthcare disparities in the United States remain, particularly among underserved minority and vulnerable groups of multicultural backgrounds. Literature suggests a link between culturally competent nursing care and improved health outcomes. This connection has been the motivation for nursing professionals to embrace culturally competent care and work to close the gap of incongruence of quality healthcare for all individuals. Van Manen’s phenomenological research method was used to reveal the essence of the lived experience of culturally competent nursing care as perceived by participants of Chinese ethnicity. The phenomenon was the experience of being in a hospital receiving nursing care as a patient from diverse cultural background. The context of the phenomenon was healthcare organizations that purport to provide exemplary culturally competent care. Following interviews of nine participants, transcripts were analyzed. Data analysis revealed four themes: (a) nurse’s presence; (b) feeling understood; (c) nice nurse, happy nurse, happy patient related to nurses’ caring behaviors and the impact on one’s perception of their health; and (d) gratitude. The concept of connectedness was an overarching theme within each of the four identified themes, serving as the thread among all interviews and themes. Watson’s Human Caring Science Theory of Nursing provided a framework for the themes and overarching theme. In this qualitative study, participant interviews contributed to building the body of knowledge about culturally competent care that shed light on Chinese participants’ meaningful nursing care experiences.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.