Caregiver stress and cultural identity in families of preschoolers with developmental delay and behavioral problems

Abstract

Introduction Research on families of young children with developmental delay and disruptive behavior problems has failed to examine caregiver stress in the context of cultural factors. Methods Families of 3‐year‐old children with developmental delay and behavior problems were recruited from Early Intervention sites. All caregivers in the current analysis (n = 147) were from immigrant and/or cultural minority backgrounds. Regarding income‐to‐needs, most families (57.8%) fell into the extreme poverty, poor, or low‐income categories. Caregivers reported on their own experiences of acculturation and enculturation as well as their child's problems. Results Path analyses revealed that higher caregiver acculturation was associated with less parenting‐specific stress, and higher caregiver enculturation was associated with less caregiver general stress. Severity of child problems was associated with more parenting‐specific stress and general stress. Exploratory analysis yielded significant differences in associations between acculturation, enculturation, and caregiver stress in Black/African American caregivers versus Hispanic White caregivers. Conclusion Findings suggest that among cultural minority caregivers of young children with developmental and behavioral problems, acculturation and enculturation may influence caregiver stress. While the cross‐sectional nature of the study precludes causal conclusions, clinicians should consider how cultural factors can be harnessed to strengthen caregiver resiliency and improve engagement in parenting interventions.

Telehealth Treatment of Behavior Problems in Young Children With Developmental Delay

“…11,12,17 It is worth noting that, unlike these previous studies, most families in this sample were from ethnic/racial minoritized and/or immigrant backgrounds. Given that acculturation and enculturation can differentially worsen or buffer stress in minoritized caregivers of children with DD, 7 it may be important to consider how parenting interventions can incorporate cultural factors into care. 61,62 The present findings have important clinical implications.…”

“…Externalizing problems in children with DD are associated with a wide range of functional impairments and result in significant economic costs when left untreated . Caregivers of children with DD experience high levels of caregiving stress associated with the severity of child behavior problems . Accordingly, effective treatment of behavior problems in young children with DD is critical.…”

“…5 Caregivers of children with DD experience high levels of caregiving stress 6 associated with the severity of child behavior problems. 7 Accordingly, effective treatment of behavior problems in young children with DD is critical.…”

Caregiver stress and social determinants of health in key populations: immigrant parents, parents of children with medical complexity, and adolescent parents

“…Another unique stressor that immigrant caregivers face is acculturation, the psychological process by which an individual of a minority group adopts the culture, language and customs of the majority group [35 ▪▪ ]. The counterpart to acculturation is enculturation, which is the psychological process by which a minority group retains connection with their culture of origin [35 ▪▪ ,36]. Recent research shows that enculturation can be a protective factor since maintaining ties to one's own cultural background reduces mental health problems [35 ▪▪ ,36].…”

“…Often, immigrants settle in neighborhoods with a high crime rate, which can lead to stress-related mental health problems, or worsen preexisting mental health conditions [32 ▪ ]. To compound this, higher levels of stress are associated with decreased engagement with treatment services [35 ▪▪ ]. Access to mental health services for recent immigrant caregivers is often impeded by legal status concerns [35 ▪▪ ], and cultural stigma [32 ▪ ,34 ▪ ].…”