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Cultural Variations in Mothers’ Acceptance of and Intent to Use Behavioral Child Management Techniques Mah, Janet W. T.; Johnston, Charlotte

Abstract

This study examined cultural differences in mothers’ acceptance of common behavioral parenting techniques for managing disruptive child behavior, and the possible mediating roles of parenting styles and implicit theories. A community sample of 117 Euro-Canadian and Chinese-immigrant mothers of boys aged 4- to 8-years participated. Chinese-immigrant mothers had more favorable attitudes towards punishment techniques (i.e., overcorrection and spanking) than Euro-Canadian mothers, and mothers’ authoritarian parenting style was a mediator underlying this cultural difference. No cultural differences were found in mothers’ attitudes towards reward (i.e., praise and token economy) or withdrawal of positive reinforcement (i.e., response cost and time-out). This study helps to inform efforts to increase the cultural sensitivity of mental health services for the underserved population of Chinese-immigrant families.

Item Metadata

Title
Cultural Variations in Mothers’ Acceptance of and Intent to Use Behavioral Child Management Techniques
Creator
Mah, Janet W. T.; Johnston, Charlotte
Date Issued
2012
Description
This study examined cultural differences in mothers’ acceptance of common behavioral parenting techniques for managing disruptive child behavior, and the possible mediating roles of parenting styles and implicit theories. A community sample of 117 Euro-Canadian and Chinese-immigrant mothers of boys aged 4- to 8-years participated. Chinese-immigrant mothers had more favorable attitudes towards punishment techniques (i.e., overcorrection and spanking) than Euro-Canadian mothers, and mothers’ authoritarian parenting style was a mediator underlying this cultural difference. No cultural differences were found in mothers’ attitudes towards reward (i.e., praise and token economy) or withdrawal of positive reinforcement (i.e., response cost and time-out). This study helps to inform efforts to increase the cultural sensitivity of mental health services for the underserved population of Chinese-immigrant families.
Subject
parent training; culture; acceptability
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2016-02-12
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
DOI
10.14288/1.0224121
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/56990
Affiliation
Arts, Faculty of; Medicine, Faculty of; Psychiatry, Department of; Psychology, Department of
Citation
Mah, J., & Johnston, C. (2012). Cultural variations in mothers’ acceptance of and intent to use behavioral child management techniques. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 486-497.
Publisher DOI
10.1007/s10826-011-9502-z
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2011
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada