Poster #171 - A Latent Profile Analysis of Acculturation among Chinese Immigrant Mothers in the U.S.

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

Berry’s classic 4-group classification of acculturation styles (Berry, 2003) has been challenged over the past two decades, due to inconsistent results regarding the implications of the four acculturation styles for the adjustment of immigrants and their off-springs. Recent research in acculturation science suggest further investigations into the specific domains of acculturation (e.g., Bornstein, 2017) and more person-centered approaches (e.g., Tahseen & Cheah, 2012). The current study: (1) utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify subgroups of immigrant Chinese mothers in the U.S. based on their behavioral patterns across 6 different acculturation domains, and (2) examined the relations between the derived acculturation class memberships and their children’s adjustment.
First-generation Chinese immigrant mothers (N = 234; Mage = 37.74 years, SD = 4.43) in Mid-Atlantic, U.S. reported their: (1) behavioral acculturation towards the mainstream culture and heritage culture in the domains of social activities, language use/proficiency, and living style (Chen & Lee, 1996); and (2) authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles (Wu et al., 2002). Teachers rated children’s (Mage = 4.58 years, SD = 1.13) sociable and withdrawn behaviors (Hart & Robinson, 1996). The 6 acculturation domains were employed in LPA to identify latent acculturation profiles of Chinese immigrant mothers in the U.S.
Comparisons of different LPA models (Table 1) revealed that: (1) the 2-class solution had much lower AIC, BIC, and adjusted BIC values than the 1-class solution; (2) LMR test indicated that the 2-class solution performed significantly better than the 1-class solution; and (3) the 3-class solution did not perform significantly better than the 2-class solution with one class including only 7 mothers. Thus, the 2-class solution was retained as the final solution for the LPA model (Figure 1). The majority (75%) of the immigrant mothers were in Class 1 (C1), and reported lower participation in the mainstream social activities, language use, and living style, and in heritage culture social activities. Class 2 (C2) mothers (25%) reported higher participation in the mainstream culture social activities, language use, and living style, and heritage culture social activities. C2 mothers were higher on all mainstream culture domains, but also on participation in social activities in (and having friends from) their heritage culture, indicating some form of integration. However, C1 mothers, who were lower on behavioral participation in all domains of the mainstream culture and social interactions with others from their heritage culture, may be better interpreted using Bornstein’s Specificity Principles (2017).
Examination of the correlates of mothers’ acculturation class memberships indicated that C2 mothers had been in the U.S. longer, and perceived their socioeconomic status as better than others. C2 mothers were also more likely to engage in authoritative parenting and had children who displayed less socially withdrawn behaviors in school, than C1 mothers. These results support previous findings that the length of time and SES in the destination culture act as a proxy for immigrants’ integration in the mainstream culture, and that immigrants’ bicultural integration may be beneficial for their children’s adjustment.

Authors

• Wei Yu, Foshan University
  Presenting Author

• Jing Yu, NICHD
  Non-Presenting Author

• Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author