An Examination of Acculturation, Social Support, and Health Outcomes among Chinese American Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Dataset for An Examination of Acculturation, Social Support, and Health Outcomes among Chinese American Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities.

As new immigrants facing cultural and structural barriers, Asian American parents raising a child with developmental disabilities are expected to encounter greater frustration, stress, social isolation, and poorer health outcomes. Based on data collected from 57 Chinese American parents of children with developmental disabilities, this paper examines the relationships between social support, acculturation, disability severity level, and parent’s physical and mental health status. The findings showed that Chinese American mothers and fathers exhibited different pathways to better health outcomes. Overall social support, specific support from family and friends/co-workers, and community involvement were significant correlates of maternal physical and mental well-being. Fear of stigmatization was significantly and positively associated with maternal depressive symptoms. In contrast, education and employment status were significantly correlated with paternal physical and mental well-being. Parent’s age and child’s age were also found to be significantly and negatively correlated with paternal depressive symptoms. The child’s disability severity level was not associated with parent’s physical and mental health. The findings also confirmed that Chinese American mothers experienced poor physical and mental health compared to Chinese American fathers. The implications and limitations of the study are also discussed.