Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Parental Attachment Among Korean–American Adolescents

  • Published:
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between parental care and control perceived by Korean–American adolescents, and further investigated the relationships between parental attachment styles and mental health measures including self-esteem, depression, and social support. The relationship between parental care and parental control resulted in a significantly negative correlation. Parental care showed significantly positive correlations with self-esteem and social support, and a negative correlation with depression. Parental control showed a significantly negative correlation with self-esteem, and a significantly positive correlation with depression. The analysis demonstrated that optimal parenting showed significantly higher self-esteem, lower depression, and higher social support than the other groups.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Biggam, F. H., & Power, K. G. (1998). The quality of perceived parenting experienced by a group of Scottish incarcerated young offenders and its relation to psychological distress. Journal of Adolescence, 21, 161–176. doi:10.1006/jado.1997.0139.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Birleson, P. (1981). The validity of depression disorders in childhood and the development of a self-rating scale: A research report. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 22, 73–88. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1981.tb00533.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss, vol. 1: Attachment. London: Hogarth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent–child attachment and healthy human development. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canetti, L., Bachar, E., Galili-Weisstub, E., De-Nour, A. K., & Shalev, A. Y. (1997). Parental bonding and mental health in adolescence. Adolescence, 32(126), 381–394.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers, J. A., Power, K. G., Loucks, N., & Swanson, V. (2000). Psychometric properties of the parental bonding instrument and its association with psychological distress in a group of incarcerated young offenders in Scotland. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 35, 318–325. doi:10.1007/s001270050245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chrispin, M. C. (1998). Resilient adaptation of church-affiliated young Haitian immigrants: A search for protective resources (Doctoral dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1998). Dissertation Abstracts International. (University Microfilm International No. AAI99-09411).

  • Cox, B. J., Enns, M. W., & Clara, I. P. (2000). The parental bonding instrument: Confirmatory evidence for a three-factor model in a psychiatric clinical sample and in the National Comorbidity Survey. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 35, 353–357. doi:10.1007/s001270050250.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cubis, J., Lewin, T., & Dawes, F. (1989). Australian adolescents perceptions of their parents. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 23, 35–47. doi:10.3109/00048678909062590.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M., Siegel, J., & Leitch, C. (1983). The nature and importance of attachment relationships to parents and peers during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12, 373–386. doi:10.1007/BF02088721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M. T., Speltz, M. L., & DeKlyen, M. (1993). The role of attachment in the early development of disruptive behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 191–213. doi:10.1017/S095457940000434X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurh, W. M., & Kim, K. C. (1984). Adhesive sociocultural adaptation of Korean immigrants in the US: An alternative strategy of minority adaptation. The International Migration Review, 18, 188–255. doi:10.2307/2545947.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hurh, W. M., & Kim, K. C. (1990). Korea immigrants in America. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, C. (1996). Acculturative stress, family environment and the psychological adjustment of Korean–American adolescents (Doctoral dissertation, California School of Professional Psychology Los Angeles, 1996). Dissertation Abstracts International. (University Microfilm International No. AAI97-08383).

  • Kendel, D., & Davies, M. (1982). Epidemiology of depressive mood in adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 1205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, K. S. (1996). Parenting: A genetic-epidemiologic perspective. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 11–20.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kenny, M. (1990). College seniors’ perceptions of parental attachments: The value and stability of family ties. Journal of College Student Development, 31, 39–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, E. (2005). Korean–American parental control: Acceptance or rejection? Ethos (Berkeley, Calif.), 33(3), 347–366. doi:10.1525/eth.2005.33.3.347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S. C. (1997). Korean–American families. In E. Lee (Ed.), Working with Asian Americans: A guide for clinicians (pp. 125–135). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leung, J. P., & Leung, K. (1992). Life satisfaction, self-concept, and relationship with parents in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 21, 653–665. doi:10.1007/BF01538737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFarlane, A. H., Bellissimo, A., & Norman, G. R. (1995). Family structure, family functioning, and adolescent well-being: The transcendent influence of parental style. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 36, 847–867. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1995.tb01333.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Min, P. G. (1988). The Korean–American family. In C. H. Mindel, R. W. Habenstein, & R. Wright (Eds.), Ethnic families in America (3rd ed., pp. 199–229). New York: Elesevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, E., Brewin, C. R., & Silka, L. (1997). The assessment of parenting using the parental bonding instrument: Two or three factors? Psychological Medicine, 27, 333–342. doi:10.1017/S0033291796004606.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Narita, N., Sato, T., Hirano, S., Gota, M., Sakado, K., & Uehara, T. (2000). Parental child-rearing behavior as measured by the parental bonding instrument in a Japanese population: Factor structure and relationship to a lifetime history of depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 57, 229–234. doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(99)00071-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. (1990). The parental bonding instrument. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 25, 281–282. doi:10.1007/BF00782881.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. (2006) Parental Bonding Instrument. Sydney, Australia: Black Dog Institute. Retrieved on August 15, 2006, from http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/research/tools/documents/PBI_AnnotatedBibliography.pdf.

  • Parker, G., Tupling, H., & Brown, L. B. (1979). A parental bonding instrument. The British Journal of Medical Psychology, 52, 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrilo, V. N. (1991). The immigrant family: Securing the American dream. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 22, 132–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, W. (1994). Parental relations, mental health, and delinquency in adolescents. Adolescence, 29, 975–990.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Procidano, M. E., & Heller, K. (1983). Measures of perceived social support from friends and from family: Three validation studies. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 1–24. doi:10.1007/BF00898416.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reese, R., Kieffer, K. M., & Briggs, B. K. (2002). A reliability generalization study of select measures of adult attachment style. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62(4), 619–646. doi:10.1177/0013164402062004006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rohner, R. P., & Pettengill, S. M. (1985). Perceived parental acceptance-rejection and parental control among Korean adolescents. Child Development, 56, 524–528. doi:10.2307/1129739.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sato, T., Sakado, K., Uehara, T., Nishioka, K., & Kasahara, Y. (1997). Perceived parental styles in a Japanese sample of depressive disorders. A replication outside Western culture. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 170, 173–175. doi:10.1192/bjp.170.2.173.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L. (1990). Autonomy, conflicts, and harmony in the family relationship. In S. S. Feldman & G. R. Elliot (Eds.), At the threshold: The developing adolescent (pp. 255–276). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sue, S., & Morishima, J. K. (1982). Understanding the Asian American family. In S. Sue & J. K. Mirishima (Eds.), The mental health of Asian Americans. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, C. K. (1992). Korean–American adolescents: Parent–child relationship (Master Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 1992). Dissertation Abstracts International, 31(01). (University Microfilm No. AAI13-49557).

  • Szapocznik, J., & Kurtines, W. (1993). Family psychology and cultural diversity. The American Psychologist, 48, 400–407. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.48.4.400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. C., Kashima, Y., Shimada, E., & Villareal, M. (1986). Acculturation indices as a means of confirming cultural differences. International Journal of Psychology, 21, 43–70. doi:10.1080/00207598608247575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada

    Wansoo Park

Authors
  1. Wansoo Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wansoo Park.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Park, W. Parental Attachment Among Korean–American Adolescents. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 26, 307–319 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-009-0164-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-009-0164-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation