Effect of Acculturation on Parental Perception of Child Psychological Assessment Among Chinese Americans

Abstract

Psychological assessment has a long history to be used for diagnostic purposes for all ages. This traditional model of assessment has been common for decades, but has not emphasized some important aspects of best practice (Brenner, 2003). To address the limitations of the information gathering model of assessment, collaborative and therapeutic approaches to assessment have been developed over the past several decades (e.g. Finn & Thonsager, 1997;Fischer, 1970). Therapeutic Assessment (TA) emphasizes the opportunity to provide positive changes in the client and their system by involving the client throughout the assessment process, and establishing a meaningful and collaborative relationship between assessor and client (Finn, 2007). The TA has been found to produce many positive impacts on client's assessment experiences in mainstream American culture. It is important to note how these positive impacts transfer to clients of different cultures. Thus the purpose of this study will be to investigate the effect of acculturation on Asian American parents' perception of existing models of child assessment. This study will examine the relations between acculturation and perception of assessment models In general, many Asian cultures consider the display of emotion or psychological concern as a significant weakness and feel that this would bring shame to one's family (Sue & Sue, 2008). In addition, it has been found that they expect the therapist to play the role of a teacher or expert (Ma, 2000). These characteristics of Asian culture values impact the experience towards psychological assessment among Asians. As introduced above, TA involves substantial collaboration between client and assessor. Clients' input is essential and valued throughout the assessment process. However, the collaborative and self--disclosing Thus the purpose of this study will be to investigate the effect of acculturation on Asian American parents' perception of existing models of child assessment. This study will examine the relations between acculturation and perception of assessment models (information gathering model versus Therapeutic Assessment) among Chinese American parents. Specifically, the study will explore whether acculturation plays a role in Chinese American parents' perception of 4 assessment with or without therapeutic components. It is ultimately important for mental health profession to understand how acculturation might affect one's perception of psychological assessment. Through revealing the role of acculturation plays in Asian American's perception on assessment models, mental health professionals could modify the TA--C or the information gathering model, or combine both models to create the best fit for Asian Americans according to their level of acculturation, in order to ensure positive experiences during the assessment process. 5 CHAPTER TWO: INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OverviewPsychological assessment has been commonly used for diagnostic purpose across all ages. Yet, there is limited research focus on the appropriateness...