About this session

Friday, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

The interplay between family, culture, and child development among Asian Americans

This symposium discusses the intersection of family dynamics, cultural contexts, and child development among Asian Americans across sub-groups (e.g., Hmong, Chinese, Korean, etc), generations (e.g., 1.5th and 2nd), and developmental stages (from the prenatal period through young adulthood). The first abstract offers a qualitative examination of Hmong women’s experiences navigating traditional cultural expectations and Western healthcare systems during their perinatal journeys. The study underscores the dual burden these women face, often without adequate support from either system. The second abstract synthesizes research on the relationship between parenting practices and mental health outcomes among Asian American youth. The literature review highlights the critical role of intergenerational acculturation gaps and family conflict in exacerbating mental health risks while identifying parental warmth/support and family cohesion as key protective factors against these risks. The third abstract explores the parenting transitions experienced by 1.5th and 2nd-generation Asian Americans, revealing a shift from a disempowering to an empowering parenting approach, the reflections, and the challenges that arise during this shift. Collectively, these studies underscore the nuanced role that familial and cultural contexts play in shaping child development among Asian Americans. By examining distinct sub-groups, and generational contexts, the symposium reveals how cultural tensions, evolving parenting practices, and family dynamics uniquely affect developmental outcomes across the lifespan. The findings call for the development of culturally sensitive frameworks in healthcare and mental health services, as well as culturally tailored interventions that support positive parenting and promote healthy child development among Asian American families.

Paper #1
Title	Walking Two Worlds Alone - Understanding Hmong Women’s Perinatal Experiences
Presenting author	Shoua Xiong, UW-Madison, United States

Paper #2
Title	Asian American Parenting and Youth Mental Health Outcomes: A Literature Review
Presenting author	Toni Yu, Columbia University School of Social Work, United States

Paper #3
Title	From disempowering to empowering: Evolving parenting approach in 1.5th and 2nd generation Asian Americans.
Presenting author	Annika Yeahyun Limson, House of Ruth Maryland, United States

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Session chairs
Dr. Effy Zhiyuan Yu, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, United States; Dr. Yiying Xiong, , United States

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