Contemporary Family Therapy
2019

Parenting Practices in the Karen Refugee Community (Article)

Ballard J. , Wieling E.* , Dwanyen L.
  • a Department of Family and Social Science, Couple and Family Therapy Specialization, University of Minnesota, 290 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States
  • b Marriage and Family Therapy/Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia, Family Science Center II, Room 202, 405 Sanford Drive, Athens, GA 30602, United States
  • c Department of Family and Social Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States

Abstract

Parents and children exposed to war and relocation have high rates of negative relational and mental health outcomes. The Karen are an ethnic minority from Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand, recently resettled in the United States. Karen refugee parents have been significantly strained by both war-related trauma and resettlement stress. We conducted three focus groups with Karen caregivers (N = 12, 5, and 12) to assess parenting practices in the Karen refugee community. Standardized mental health and parenting assessments completed by 11 Karen caregivers and 11 children were used to triangulate focus group data. Key themes identified related to mothers’ physical care for their children, parenting difficulties after relocation to the U.S., and practices of discipline, direction-giving, and encouragement. These findings have implications for culturally relevant clinical and research approaches to support Karen refugee parents and children. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

parenting practices Refugees resettlement trauma

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074582745&doi=10.1007%2fs10591-019-09509-6&partnerID=40&md5=cbefa3050913e3abf29b8b7572ad6bbe
DOI: 10.1007/s10591-019-09509-6
ISSN: 08922764
Original Language: English