Parent-to-Child Aggression Among Asian American Parents: Culture, Context, and Vulnerability

We examined correlates of lifetime parent-tochild aggression in a representative sample of 1,293 Asian American parents. Correlates examined included nativity, indicators of acculturation, socioeconomic status, family climate, and stressors associated with minority status. Results revealed that Asian Americans of Chinese descent and those who immigrated as youth were more likely to report minor parentalaggression; ethnicity and nativity were not associated with severe aggression. Indices of acculturation did not predict risk, but minority status stressors (perceived discrimination, low social standing) predicted risk of both minor and severe aggression. Affective climate differed markedly in families with minor versus severe aggression. Parental aggression in Asian American families may not be cultural per se, but stress associated with immigrant family context may heighten vulnerability. It is widely accepted that child physical abuse poses a major threat to public health. The psychological sequelae of physical abuse are widely recognized with elevated risk for mental health problems (for review see Kolko, 2002). Beyond