Parenting Stress and Risks of Child Maltreatment Among Asian Immigrant Parents: Does Social Support Moderate the Effects?

Child maltreatment among Asian immigrant parents has been largely understudied, even though Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing minority groups in the U.S. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the potential moderating role of social support in relation to parenting stress and risk of child maltreatment among Asian immigrant parents. In collaboration with a major multiservice agency serving diverse racial and ethnic populations in New York City, face-to-face interviews were conducted among Asian American parents. The data from a sample of 259 Asian parents who identified as first-generation immigrants were used in multivariate regression analyses. The results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between parenting stress and risk of child maltreatment, even after controlling for other predictors. While a significant relationship between social support and the risk of child maltreatment was found, it became weaker as other predictors were included. However, a moderating effect of social support was not found to buffer the negative impacts of parenting stress on the risk of child maltreatment. Study findings suggest that more culturally competent interventions should be provided, which aim at reducing parenting stress, increasing utilization of available professional services, and encouraging Asian immigrant families to develop a social support system of family and friends. What is the public significance of this article? This study suggests that parenting stress and lack of social support are important risk factors for child maltreatment among Asian immigrants in the U.S. Although social support was not found to moderate the impact of parenting stress on risk of child maltreatment, this study highlights the point that social support may serve as both a benefit and a strain for Asian immigrant parents. These study findings may help guide culturally informed interventions to prevent child maltreatment among Asian immigrant parents in the U.S.