Abstract
The focus of this chapter is on how Mainland Chinese immigrant mothers’ experiences in Hong Kong may constitute risk and protective factors with regard to their parenting. The chapter begins with an overview of the broader context and experiences of Mainland Chinese immigrant mothers as a backdrop to understanding their psychological and behavioral adjustment and parenting. The literature is reviewed on the pressures experienced by these mothers, including pressures from their children, stress from their family and host society, and internal conflict around their experiences. The literature on the buffering functions of psychological resources and social support for these mothers is also reviewed. Next, findings from our recent longitudinal study on Mainland Chinese immigrant mothers (n = 97) and "native" mothers (n = 81) of preschoolers from disadvantaged socioeconomic background in Hong Kong are presented. Using surveys and laboratory observations, we found that, contrary to some prior studies, the two groups of mothers were generally comparable in their parenting as well as exposure to risk and protective factors. We also found evidence for relations between mothers’ exposure to risk and protective factors and their parenting practices. These associations were documented across the two groups and partially mediated by mothers’ affect, suggesting similarities in the mechanism by which immigrant and "native" mothers’ circumstances may shape their parenting practices and highlighting the important role of mothers’ emotional functioning. Discrepancies between the findings from this study and prior studies as well as the implications of our findings for understanding the immigration experience around the world are discussed.
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Ng, F.FY., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S., Sze, I.NL. (2018). Parenting Among Mainland Chinese Immigrant Mothers in Hong Kong. In: Chuang, S., Costigan, C. (eds) Parental Roles and Relationships in Immigrant Families. Advances in Immigrant Family Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71399-1_9
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