Abstract
Due to increased multiculturalism in the US and abroad, there is a need for increased understanding of the different ways in which parenting stress is related to child problems across cultures. In the present study, we investigated (a) differences in reported parenting stress and childhood problem behaviors across a Korean (n = 71) and US (n = 71) sample, as well as (b) differences in the ways in which parenting stress and childhood problems were related across Korean and US children based on mothers’ reports. Results revealed that Korean mothers reported significantly higher parenting stress yet significantly lower childhood problem behaviors compared to US mothers. In addition, mother-based reports of child problems were significantly associated with parenting stress in the US sample, but not in the Korean sample. Clinical implications and culturally-relevant issues relevant to these findings are addressed, including a potential under-reporting bias of child problems among Asian parents.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
To increase the generalizability of our findings, we allowed children with comorbid disorders (e.g., internalizing and externalizing diagnoses) to be included in the study as long as they had a primary internalizing or externalizing diagnosis.
References
Anthony LG, Anthony BJ, Glanville DN, Naiman DQ, Waanders C, Shaffer S (2005) The relationships between parenting stress, parenting behaviour and preschoolers’ social competence and behaviour problems in the classroom. Infant Child Dev 14:133–154
Reitman D, Currier RO, Stickle TR (2002) A critical evaluation of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) in a head start population. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31:384–392
Deater-Deckard K (1998) Parenting stress and child adjustment: some old hypotheses and new questions. Clin Psychol: Sci Pract 5:314–332
Crnic K, Greenberg M (1990) Minor parenting stress with young children. Child Dev 54:209–217
Webster-Stratton C, Hammond M (1988) Maternal depression and its relationship to life stress, perceptions of child behaviour problems, parenting behaviours, and child conduct problems. J Abnorm Child Psychol 16:299–315
Lavee Y, Sharlin S, Katz R (1996) The effect of parenting stress on marital quality. J Fam Issues 17:114–135
Webster-Stratton C (1989) The relationship of marital support, conflict, and divorce to parent perceptions, behaviours and childhood conduct problems. J Marriage Fam 51:417–430
Achenbach TM (1991) Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 profile. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry, Burlington
Achenbach TM, Rescorla LA (2001) Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms and profiles. University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Burlington
Abidin RR (1995) Parenting Stress Index: professional manual. Psychological Assessment Resources, Florida
Anastopoulos AD, Guevremont DC, Shelton TL, DuPaul GJ (1992) Parenting stress among families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Abnorm Child Psychol 20:503–520
Baker BL, Blacher J, Crnic K, Edelbrock C (2002) Behavior problems and parenting stress in families of three-year-old children with and without developmental delays. Am J Ment Retard 107:433–444
Baker BL, McIntyre LL, Blacher J, Crnic K, Edelbrock C, Low C (2003) Pre-school children with and without developmental delay: behaviour problems and parenting stress over time. J Intellect Disabil Res 47:217–230
Krulik T, Turner-Henson A, Kanematsu Y, Al-Ma’aitah R, Swan J, Holaday B (1999) Parenting stress and mothers of young children with chronic illness: a cross-cultural study. J Pediatr Nurs 14:130–140
Mash E, Johnston C (1990) Determinants of parenting stress: illustrations from families of hyperactive children and families of physically abused children. J Clin Child Psychol 19:313–328
Tallmadge JM, Paternite CE, Gordon M (1989) Hyperactivity and aggression in parent-child interactions: test of a two-factor theory. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Kansas City
Cunningham CE, Benness BB, Siegel LS (1988) Family functioning, time allocation, and parental depression in the families of normal and ADDH children. J Clin Child Psychol 17:169–177
Lahey BB, Pelham WE, Schaughency EA, Atkins MS, Murphy HA, Hynd GW et al (1988) Dimensions and types of attention deficit disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 27:330–335
Bell RQ, Harper LV (1977) The effect of children on parents. Erlbaum, Hillsdale
Kwon JY (2007) The relationship between parenting stress, parental intelligence and child behavior problems in a study of Korean preschool mothers. Early Child Dev Care 177:449–460
Mori K, Ujiie T, Smith A, Howlin P (2009) Parental stress associated with caring for children with Asperger’s syndrome or autism. Pediatr Int 51:364–370
Yang P, Jong Y, Hsu H, Tsai J (2007) Psychiatric features and parenting stress profiles of subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: results from a clinically referred Taiwanese sample. J Dev Behav Pediatr 28:369–375
Harrison C, Sofronoff K (2002) ADHD and parental psychological distress: role of demographics, child behavioral characteristics, and parental cognitions. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 41:703–711
Solis ML, Abidin RR (1991) The Spanish version Parenting Stress Index: a psychometric study. J Clin Child Psychol 20:372–378
Chung KM, Lee KS, Park J, Kim HJ (2008) Standardization study for the Korean version of parenting stress index (K-PSI). Korean J Clin Psychol 27:689–707
Weine AM, Phillips J, Achenbach TM (1995) Behavioral and emotional problems among Chinese and American children: parent and teacher reports for ages 6–13. J Abnorm Child Psychol 23:619–639
Weisz JR, Suwanlert S, Chaiyasit W, Weiss B, Achenbach TM, Eastman KL (1993) Behavioral and emotional problems among Thai and American adolescents: parent reports for ages 12–16. J Abnorm Psychol 102:395–403
Oh KJ, Shin YJ, Moon KJ, Hudson JL, Rapee RM (2002) Child-rearing practices and psychological disorders in children: cross-cultural comparison of Korea and Australia. Yonsei Med J 43:411–419
Rescorla LA, Achenbach TM, Ivanova MY, Dumenci L, Almqvist F, Bilenberg N et al (2007) Behavioral and emotional problems reported by parents of children ages 6–16 in 31 societies. J Emot Behav Disord 15:130–142
Oh KJ, Lee H, Hong KE, Ha EH (1997) Manual for the Korean Child Behavior Checklist. Choongang Juksung Press, Seoul
Achenbach TM, Dumenci L, Rescorla LA (2003) DSM oriented and empirically based approaches to constructing scales from the same item pools. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 32:328–340
Radcliffe J, Bennett D, Kazak A, Foley B, Phillips P (1996) Adjustment in childhood brain tumor survival: child, mother, and teacher report. J Pediatr Psychol 21:529–539
Wolf L, Fisman S, Ellison D, Freeman T (1998) Effect of sibling perception of differential parental treatment in sibling dyads with one disabled child. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 37:1317–1325
Weller EB, Weller RA, Teare M, Fristad MA (1999) Parent version-children’s interview for psychiatric syndromes (P-ChIPS). American Psychiatric, Washington, DC
Belsky J, Woodworth S, Crnic K (1996) Trouble in the second year: three questions about family interaction. Child Dev 67:556–578
McBride BA, Mills G (1993) A comparison of mother and father involvement with their preschool age children. Early Child Res Q 8:457–477
Crnic KA, Gaze C, Hoffman C (2005) Cumulative parenting stress across the preschool period: relations to maternal parenting and child behaviour at age 5. Infant Child Dev 14:117–132
Crnic K, Greenberg M, Ragozin A, Robinson N, Basham R (1983) Effects of stress and social support on mother and premature and full-term infants. Child Dev 54:209–217
Shin JY (2002) Social support for families of children with mental retardation: comparison between Korea and The United States. Ment Retard 40:103–118
Cho S, Singer GH, Brenner M (2003) A comparison of adaptation to childhood disability in Korean immigrant and Korean mothers. Focus Autism Other Dev Disabl 18:9–19
Yabuuchi A (2004) Face in Chinese, Japanese, and U.S. American cultures. J Asian Pac Comm 14:261–297
Ebesutani C, Bernstein A, Nakamura B, Chorpita B, Weisz J (2010) A psychometric analysis of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale–Parent Version in a clinical sample. J Abnorm Child Psychol 38:249–260
De Los Reyes A, Kazdin A (2005) Informant discrepancies in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: a critical review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for further study. Psychol Bull 131:483–509
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chung, KM., Ebesutani, C., Bang, H.M. et al. Parenting Stress and Child Behavior Problems Among Clinic-Referred Youth: Cross-Cultural Differences Across the US and Korea. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 44, 460–468 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0340-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0340-z