Do cultural values influence parenting style and child confidence?
While cultural values influenced parenting styles for South Asian families and child competence for local Chinese families, parenting styles themselves did not directly predict children's self-perceived competence.
Source
Effects of Asian cultural values on parenting style and young children's perceived competence: A cross-sectional study
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — Parent-report cultural values and parenting styles plus child-perceived competence in Hong Kong kindergartens
- N
- N=105 · 81 South Asian and 24 local Chinese 5–6-year-olds and their parents
- Population
- South Asian and local Chinese kindergarten children and parents in lower-SES Hong Kong districts
- Outcome
- Link from Asian cultural values to authoritative parenting (South Asian mothers) vs child peer competence (local Chinese), without parenting style predicting child competence
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Do cultural values influence parenting style and child confidence?
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
The study included 97 parents who participated voluntarily.
All individuals participating voluntarily in the study comprised 97 parents (49 mothers from South Asian group; 48 mothers from local Chinese groups), and 105 children (24 local Chinese, 81 South Asian).
The recruited children were aged 5 to 6 years.
Children aged between 5 and 6 years and their parents were recruited from the participating kindergartens.
What they did
The researcher recruited 97 mothers (49 South Asian and 48 local Chinese) and 105 children aged 5 to 6 years from three kindergartens in Hong Kong. Mothers completed surveys assessing their adherence to Asian cultural values and their parenting styles, while trained research assistants interviewed the children using a pictorial scale to assess their self-perceived competence across multiple domains. The study analyzed how cultural values relate to parenting styles, and how both variables relate to children's self-competence.
What they found
South Asian mothers showed a strong association between adhering to Asian cultural values and using authoritative parenting, with humility being the strongest predictor (beta of 0.490). Conversely, local Chinese families showed no meaningful link between cultural values and parenting styles, but their cultural values strongly predicted children's peer competence with an R-squared of 0.643. Surprisingly, parenting styles did not significantly predict children's perceived competence in either group, with all regression models falling below an R-squared of 0.5.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Because this study is cross-sectional, it cannot prove that cultural values or parenting styles cause changes in children's self-competence over time. The sample of caregivers consisted entirely of mothers, meaning the findings might not apply to fathers or other male guardians. Additionally, the researchers grouped several distinct ethnic groups under the broad label of 'South Asian' and had highly unequal child sample sizes, with 81 South Asian children but only 24 local Chinese children. Finally, the study relied on self-reported questionnaires from parents, which are prone to social desirability bias.
Key terms
- authoritative parenting
- A parenting style characterized by high warmth, responsiveness, and clear boundaries, which encourages child independence.
- authoritarian parenting
- A parenting style marked by high control, low warmth, strict discipline, and expectations of unquestioning obedience.
- collectivism
- A cultural value that prioritizes group goals, interdependence, and social harmony over individual desires.
- perceived competence
- An individual's personal belief or self-evaluation regarding their abilities and skills in various life domains.
- acculturation
- The process of adapting to a new host culture while balancing the preservation of one's original cultural heritage.
- filial piety
- An Asian cultural value emphasizing deep respect, obedience, and care for one's parents and ancestors.
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What demographic change occurred in Hong Kong's non-Chinese population between 2011 and 2016?
Common questions
Why would South Asian immigrants show a stronger link between traditional cultural values and authoritative parenting than local Chinese parents?
As ethnic minorities, South Asian parents in Hong Kong may use traditional cultural values pragmatically to help their children adapt safely to a new environment, blending traditional respect and community focus with warm, protective support.
Why didn't parenting styles predict children's self-perceived competence?
Children's self-perception at 5 to 6 years old is highly dynamic and influenced by many immediate factors outside the home, such as school environments and peer interactions, meaning a parent's general style may not directly dictate how a child rates their own skills.
How did the researchers measure the self-competence of such young children?
They used a pictorial scale where children were shown contrasting pictures and asked to point to the picture that best represented them.
Why was the 'South Asian' category so diverse?
The category included Indonesian, Nepalese, Pakistani, and Filipino families; the researcher had to group them together to maintain statistical viability due to a small overall sample size.
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