A Three-Generation Study of Chinese Immigrant Extended Family Child Caregiving Experiences in the Preschool Years

Abstract

Chinese immigrant families often migrate to the U.S. with unique family characteristics including long separations between parents and children, as well as multigenerational family living. Research has shown that the intergenerational interactions within immigrant families are important for the psychological well-being of both parents and children, but has yet to document how grandparent and extended family member child rearing experiences may promote positive and/or negative well-being. This mixed-methods study aimed to understand such experiences in a low-income urban community. Results are discussed with respect to theory regarding how extended family childrearing dynamics impact both parent and child well-being.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge Action for Boston Community Development for their support for this study. Special thanks are extended to Mei Hua Fu and Regina Wong. The results of this study were presented at the 2011 Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Notes

¹One of the boys had a twin sister whose data was similar, with the only exception being that the girls' Internalizing Score was in the clinical range. Because of the similarity in overall ratings between the brother and sister, only the brother's data are presented in this article.