In a sample of 107 Chinese immigrant families we examined whether cultural child-rearing beliefs moderated the association between parents' use of punitive discipline and children's behavioral adjustment. Immigrant parents and their children aged 7 to 17 years completed measures of parental discipline and child behavior problems. Parents also reported on indigenous Chinese child-rearing ideologies regarding shaming and training as strategies for raising competent and moral children. Results of hierarchical regression models conducted with parent-reported data indicated that the negative effects of punitive discipline on child behavior problems were not apparent when parents adhered to training and shaming ideologies. However, the buffering effects of training ideologies were more robust and consistent than shaming. The findings provide some evidence that the discipline-behavior problem link may be moderated by cultural context of caregiver psychology which shapes the meaning and implications of parental behavior. © 2009 The International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development.

Child-rearing ideologies Punitive discipline child behavior problems culture Physical discipline

male controlled study medical research female Asian American immigrant training cultural factor child behavior Article behavior disorder human cross-sectional study child parent relation attitude Child