2010 — 2011 |
Cheah, Charissa Sl |
R03Activity Code Description: To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable. |
Immigrant Chinese Preschooler's Social Development: the Role of Parents and Socia @ University of Maryland Balt Co Campus
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Asians are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, growing by 48% (from 6.9 million to 10.2 million) compared to an increase of 13.2% for the total population between 1990 and 2000. As of 2000, 3.6% of the total U.S. population was Asian, with Chinese being the largest Asian ethnic group. Recent research indicates that Chinese American youth and adults experience greater psychological and social emotional difficulties than their Euro-American counterparts, including anxiety, depression and suicidal risk. Although early parenting practices associated with preschoolers'social development have been consistently shown to predict later psychosocial adjustment in North American samples, the specific parenting practices associated with Chinese immigrant preschoolers'social skill development have yet to be examined. Moreover, the unique role of immigrant Chinese father and mothers has been neglected. Although immigration may present tremendous parenting challenges to families, successful or unsuccessful parenting is dependent on the socio-cultural context and parents'characteristics. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of parenting in mediating the effects of immigrant Chinese parents'characteristics and the social context on their children's social skills (aggression, withdrawal, prosocial behaviors). Specifically, we aim to analyze the mediating role of parenting (parenting styles, indigenous practices, management of their children's social network) in the association between (1) psychological and behavioral acculturation, (2) psychological well-being, (3) stress, (4) social support network, (5) Chinese context, and child behavioral outcomes. These aims will be examined using cross-sectional data from immigrant Chinese fathers and mothers of 200 preschoolers regarding their characteristics, social context, and parenting. Children's aggressive, withdrawn/solitary, and prosocial behaviors will be rated by their preschool teachers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The benefits to public health of the proposed research include contributing to the literature on the rapidly increasing population of immigrant Chinese families in the US, particularly in regions with smaller existing Chinese communities. Given that Chinese American youth experience greater psychological and social emotional difficulties than their Euro-American counterparts (including anxiety, depression and suicidal risk), findings from this investigation will provide needed information on individual and sociocultural factors related to Chinese immigrant parenting of preschoolers and subsequent child behavioral outcomes that may set the stage for later psychosocial adjustment difficulties and successes. These results will contribute important scientific and practical information to guide community, regional, and national planning, policy development and advocacy regarding the healthy adaptation of immigrant children and their parents.
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0.931 |
2020 — 2021 |
Cheah, Charissa Pan, Shimei (co-PI) [⬀] Wang, Cixin (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Rapid: Influences of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Outbreak On Racial Discrimination, Identity Development and Socialization @ University of Maryland Baltimore County
The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has, as of February 23rd, 2020, resulted in more than 78,811 infected and at least 2,445 deaths. Beyond the tragic health toll of this outbreak, there has been increased targeting of minority groups of U.S. residents. The Coronavirus outbreak has refueled stereotypes (e.g., eating ?strange? foods, having unsanitary lifestyles, being disease-ridden) that are veiled under health-related fears. Racial discrimination significantly decreases well-being and increases psychological distress as well as mental and physical health. Most studies on the effects of racism on identity, resilience, and parental socialization, have focused on discrimination among adolescents and emerging adults. This innovative interdisciplinary study will significantly advance our understanding of risk and resilience in response to acute social stress among families with children in three different age groups, early childhood (4-7 years), middle childhood (8-11 years) and early-to-mid adolescence (12-15 years). Findings will identify key developmental and social processes that influence how identities of racial minority parents and their children are formed. The influence of an acute but prolonged threat to their social identities resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak may provide insight into the general nature of this process as well.
This interdisciplinary team comprising a cultural developmental scientist, a school psychologist, and a computer scientist will study multiple forms of COVID-19 racial discrimination and the subsequent impact on the identity development and adjustment of minority parents and children. The study will focus on how parents socialize their children about issues of race and identity in reaction to this event at the early part of 2020 and again 6-9 months later. Protective factors for adjustment in parents and children will also be identified. In addition, large scale texts of outbreak-related social media (Twitter) posts will be analyzed to account for how public opinion, anxiety, and discriminatory attitudes evolve with the peaking and fading of this epidemic and provide objective indicators of the larger public social discourse climate across the year. Infectious diseases will continue to emerge and re-emerge globally, and their negative impact on psychological and social health is understudied but highly significant, leading to both significant social and economic consequences. Knowledge from this research may help inform the types of services and education that can promote well-being in targeted marginalized groups and the larger public during future similar events.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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