Establishing a Parenting Program for Transnationally Separated Chinese Immigrant Families: Community-Based Pilot Program

Abstract

Children who experience transnational separation (TS) from their parents, often referred to as "satellite babies," endure a relatively common but underdiscussed experience. To date, no evaluations of clinical interventions to specifically support transnationally separated families have been described. This column describes implementation of a group therapy pilot program for parents to address parenting and emotional concerns related to TS at a social services agency in Boston's Chinatown. Parent and therapist interviews indicated increased skills in negotiating parental feelings of guilt, shame, and regret caused by TS. These insights can guide practitioners and researchers who wish to address family separation in their communities.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Parenting for Lifelong Health Program in Mainland China

“…Parent group sessions indicated that parents did not realize that they should show or tell children that they love them and the impact of not doing so before they attended the program. Previous studies have shown that neglect, especially emotional neglect, is among the most prevalent types of child maltreatment in China (Wang, Cheng, et al, 2020; Wang, Wong, et al, 2020). It suggests that measures should be expanded and include child neglect, especially emotional neglect, in future studies.…”

“…Child maltreatment is a global public health issue affecting the well-being of millions of children (Stoltenborgh et al, 2014). In China, although harsh and controlling parenting strategies are declining in the current generation of parents, physical discipline is still considered beneficial for children's future (Qiao & Chan, 2005; Wang, Cheng, et al, 2020; Wang, Wong, et al, 2020). The prevalence of child physical abuse in China was estimated at 36.6% (Ji & Finkelhor, 2015), which was significantly higher than the international and Asian estimates in a study by Stoltenborgh et al (2013).…”

“…Specifically, the pooled prevalence was estimated at 43.1% for minor physical abuse, 26.6% for severe physical abuse, and 7.8% for very severe physical abuse (Ji & Finkelhor, 2015). Another study found that 30.0% of Chinese primary and middle school students reported that they had suffered from emotional abuse (Wang, Cheng, et al, 2020; Wang, Wong, et al, 2020). The high incidence of child maltreatment places an immense burden on the public health system (Margolin & Gordis, 2000).…”

“…In recent years, an increasing number of parenting programs have been developed and implemented in mainland China. The target population of these programs included general families (Gao et al, 2022; Guo et al, 2016; Luo et al, 2019), immigrant families (Wang, Cheng, et al, 2020; Wang, Wong, et al, 2020), families of children with behavioral problems (Leung et al, 2008), and families with children with autism or developmental disabilities (Fang et al, 2022; Leung et al, 2016). Chinese parenting programs have focused on improving child development and health and parenting practices and reducing parenting stress and child behavioral problems (Gao et al, 2022; Luo et al, 2019); however, no programs deal with child maltreatment.…”