Family Support: A Buffer for Parenting Stress among Ethnic Minority Parents of Children with DD

<p>Adapting to a new culture is a stressful experience for some ethnic minorities. Lower acculturation in ethnic minorities is related to high levels of stress. Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) typically experience high levels of stress, particularly parenting stress. Therefore, ethnic minority families of children with development delays may be at risk for especially high levels of parenting stress due to the additive stress of adapting to a new culture. Currently, there is uncertainty within the field about the relationship between acculturation and parenting stress given that studies have found both low and high levels of acculturation to be associated with high levels of parenting stress. Thus, acculturation may ameliorate or exacerbate the parenting stress experienced by minority families of children with DD. In the current study, we explored the impact of acculturation on parents of children with DD as well as investigated family support as a potential moderator of this relationship. Our results indicated that the effect of acculturation on parenting stress depended on the level of family support. More specifically, low levels of acculturation were associated with increased parenting stress and family support did moderate this relationship. Further investigation in other forms of social support that may help to explain this relationship is the necessary next step in deeper understanding.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year

2013

Author dc:creator

• Luu, Susanna

Contributors dc:contributor

• Neece, Cameron L.
• Betancourt, Hector M.
• Jenkins, Louis E.

• Clinical Psychology
• Psychology
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Developmental Disabilities - Child; Stress - Psychological; Parenting; Family Relations; Acculturation
• Parenting Stress; Minority Populations; Family Support;

Statement dc:rights

• This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/298

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1297