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7 - Parenting From a Cultural and Global Perspective: A Review of Theoretical Models and Parenting Research in Diverse Cultural Contexts

from Part I - Foundations of Parenting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2022

By
Qing Zhou  and
Sara Chung
Edited by
Amanda Sheffield Morris  and
Julia Mendez Smith
Amanda Sheffield Morris
Affiliation:
Oklahoma State University
Julia Mendez Smith
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
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Summary

In this chapter, we begin with the definition of culture and a discussion of theoretical frameworks for understanding the influences of culture on parenting. We discuss the meta-analysis studies examining the links of parenting styles and child outcomes across culture groups. We then provide a qualitative review of selected empirical studies on parenting in four cultural contexts: (1) low- to middle-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa, (2) Southeast Asian countries, (3) refugee families from sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, and (4) refugee and immigrant families in Western destination countries. These four cultural contexts were selected because: (1) parenting practices in these cultural contexts have been understudied, despite the strong need for research-based interventions to prevent/reduce risks and promote resilience in children living in those communities; and (2) the unique sociocultural characteristics or processes of these contexts create several new directions for parenting research. Implications of the research findings for policy and intervention are also discussed. We conclude the chapter with a summary of new themes in the research on culture and parenting.

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Chapter
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The Cambridge Handbook of Parenting , pp. 144 - 162
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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