The Immigration Experiences, Acculturation, and Parenting of Chinese Immigrant Mothers

The overall goal of the present study was to examine Chinese immigrant mothers' reasons for migration, experiences of migrating to the U.S., their acculturation strategies, adjustment, and parenting through a complementarity mixed-method approach. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were utilized concurrently to address the overall aim of this cross-sectional study. Specifically, the sample for the quantitative approach comprised 119 first-generation Chinese immigrant mothers of young children in Maryland. Utilizing data obtained through questionnaires, Chinese immigrant mothers were grouped into four different acculturation strategies (integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization) and compared on: (1) their reasons for migration; (2) the role of negative and positive factors in their acculturation strategies; (3) their psychological functioning; and (4) their parenting styles. To complement and add to the findings obtained through the quantitative approach, 50 of the 119 mothers were interviewed using a qualitative approach. The themes raised by these Chinese immigrant mothers during semi-structured interviews regarding their: (1) reasons for migration and pre-migration expectations; (2) negative and positive immigration experiences; (3) evaluations of their immigration decision; and (4) conceptualization of Chinese and American parenting and changes in their parenting since they migrated to the U.S., were analyzed. This complementarity mixed-method approach allowed for an enriched, elaborated understanding of the immigration experiences, acculturation, parenting, and adjustment of Chinese immigrant mothers. The findings of the present study can provide important information to guide culturally informed community resources and policy development to support the adaptive transition and healthy development of Chinese immigrant families with young children in the context of small co-ethnic communities