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Parenting Stress and Child Behavior Problems Among Clinic-Referred Youth: Cross-Cultural Differences Across the US and Korea

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Abstract

Due to increased multiculturalism in the US and abroad, there is a need for increased understanding of the different ways in which parenting stress is related to child problems across cultures. In the present study, we investigated (a) differences in reported parenting stress and childhood problem behaviors across a Korean (n = 71) and US (n = 71) sample, as well as (b) differences in the ways in which parenting stress and childhood problems were related across Korean and US children based on mothers’ reports. Results revealed that Korean mothers reported significantly higher parenting stress yet significantly lower childhood problem behaviors compared to US mothers. In addition, mother-based reports of child problems were significantly associated with parenting stress in the US sample, but not in the Korean sample. Clinical implications and culturally-relevant issues relevant to these findings are addressed, including a potential under-reporting bias of child problems among Asian parents.

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Notes

  1. To increase the generalizability of our findings, we allowed children with comorbid disorders (e.g., internalizing and externalizing diagnoses) to be included in the study as long as they had a primary internalizing or externalizing diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology (Widang Hall 410), Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-749, Korea

    Kyong-Mee Chung, Chad Ebesutani & Joohee Kim

  2. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA

    Hye Min Bang

  3. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Bruce F. Chorpita

  4. Psychology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    John R. Weisz

  5. Judge Baker Children’s Center, Boston, MA, USA

    John R. Weisz

  6. Seoul Metropolitan Children’s Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    Dongsoo Suh & Heejung Byun

Authors
  1. Kyong-Mee Chung
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  2. Chad Ebesutani
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  3. Hye Min Bang
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  4. Joohee Kim
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  5. Bruce F. Chorpita
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  6. John R. Weisz
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  7. Dongsoo Suh
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  8. Heejung Byun
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Correspondence to Chad Ebesutani.

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Chung, KM., Ebesutani, C., Bang, H.M. et al. Parenting Stress and Child Behavior Problems Among Clinic-Referred Youth: Cross-Cultural Differences Across the US and Korea. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 44, 460–468 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0340-z

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