Racial Discrimination and Chinese American Mothers’ Psychologically Controlling Parenting Practices: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Psychologically controlling parenting involves practices that attempt to induce obedience through parents’ constraint and manipulation of children’s psychological experiences (Barber, 1996). In Western samples, such practices tend to be associated with negative child outcomes (Nelson et al., 2013), whereas in Chinese American children, researchers have found social-emotional outcomes to vary based on the sub-dimension of psychological control examined (e.g., Yu et al., 2019), including love withdrawal (LW), guilt induction (GI) and shaming (SM) practices (Yu et al., 2015). However, little is known about concomitants and predictors of the use of these forms of psychological control in Chinese American mothers. Maternal stress has been found to contribute to greater psychological control (Cheah et al., 2016). Racial discrimination is a particularly relevant stressor for ethnic-racial minority mothers, which may contribute to increased psychological maladjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms), and in turn, a greater use of psychological control. Moreover, this relation may be moderated by mothers’ level of behavioral acculturation towards the mainstream culture (Berry, 2005). Mothers with less behavioral participation in the mainstream culture may be more vulnerable to racial discrimination because of the higher value placed on maintaining their cultural heritage as a central feature in their lives (Deng et.al., 2010). These mothers may also have fewer coping resources than mothers who are more involved in the mainstream culture (Hanasono et al., 2014). Thus, we examined whether: (1) Chinese American mothers’ racial discrimination is associated with their use of more psychological controlling strategies (LW, GI, and SM), as mediated by elevated depressive symptoms; and (2) the association between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms is moderated by acculturation.
Chinese American mothers (N=220, Mage=37.65) with preschoolers (Mage=4.40; 53% boys) reported on their experiences with racial discrimination (Yoo & Lee, 2005; α=.81), their level of acculturation (Chen & Lee, 1996; α=.73), their depressive symptoms (Beck et al., 1996; α=.88), and their use of three dimensions of psychological control (Olsen et al., 2002): LW (α=.57), GI (α=.78), and SM (α=.78).
The proposed model achieved good model fit, χ² (8, N=220)=10.62, p=.224, CFI=.99, SRMR=.03, and RMSEA=.04, 90% CI [.00, .09] (Figure 1). Chinese American mothers’ racial discrimination was significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, which in turn was related to mothers’ increased use of LW, GI, and SM. More importantly, the interaction between racial discrimination and acculturation was significant (b=-0.15, p < .05). The conditional indirect effects of racial discrimination on LW, GI, and SM practices through depressive symptoms were significant only at low and mean levels of acculturation.
Chinese American mothers’ racial discrimination was associated with their increased use of LW, GI, and SM practices through increased depressive symptoms. However, mothers’ greater involvement in the mainstream American society, as reflected in positive social relationships and the adopting of Western cultural norms, may buffer them against the negative impact of racial discrimination perhaps by facilitating intergroup support to decrease the social isolation created by racial discrimination, along with the development of more effective coping skills. The meaning and implications of these findings will be discussed.

Authors

• Xiaofang Xue, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Presenting Author

• Ana Katrina Aquino, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Craig H Hart, Brigham Young University
  Non-Presenting Author

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