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Cultural Variations in Mothers’ Acceptance of and Intent to Use Behavioral Child Management Techniques

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Abstract

We examined cultural differences in mothers’ acceptance of and intent to use behavioral parenting techniques for managing disruptive child behavior, and the possible roles of parenting styles and implicit theories in explaining these cultural differences. A community sample of 117 Euro-Canadian and Chinese-immigrant mothers of boys aged 4- to 8-years participated. Chinese-immigrant mothers had more favorable attitudes towards punishment techniques (i.e., overcorrection and spanking) than Euro-Canadian mothers, and mothers’ authoritarian parenting style accounted for this cultural difference. No cultural differences were found in mothers’ attitudes towards reward (i.e., praise and token economy) or withdrawal of positive reinforcement (i.e., response cost and time-out). This study helps to inform efforts to increase the cultural sensitivity of mental health services for the underserved population of Chinese-immigrant families.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and was part of the doctoral dissertation of the first author. We thank the mothers who participated, and the research assistants for their helpful efforts.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Janet W. T. Mah & Charlotte Johnston

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  1. Janet W. T. Mah
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  2. Charlotte Johnston
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Correspondence to Charlotte Johnston.

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Mah, J.W.T., Johnston, C. Cultural Variations in Mothers’ Acceptance of and Intent to Use Behavioral Child Management Techniques. J Child Fam Stud 21, 486–497 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9502-z

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