Filial responsibilities and well-being in Chinese American families: Definition, behaviors, affect, and outcome

The goal of this research was to explore family responsibilities and cultural brokering in the Chinese American community. Exploring and detailing the role responsibilities of Chinese American households would offer insight into what is considered typical behavior of family members. By making clear those behaviors that are normal in typical Chinese American families, the present study was able to address theories of family responsibility that were based upon Western cultures.; This research comes at a critical time as immigration rates increase, and the field of mental health continues to recognize the needs of the Asian American community (Okazaki, 1994; Sue, 2002). This research also has important policy implications as the California Assembly prepares legislation to prohibit the use of children as translators in Bill AB 292. While policy is being introduced based upon assumptions of negative outcome, research must be conducted to address the question of whether the assumed negative outcomes would be empirically supported.; To ascertain normative family roles, 30 Chinese American undergraduates participated in the qualitative study, discussing role responsibilities in the Chinese American home. Distinct roles were revealed for each family member, and participants described a great deal of filial obligations on the part of children. Support for the current notion of cultural brokering was not found.; One hundred thirty five Chinese American undergraduates participated in the second study, which was designed to examine relationships between filial responsibility, gender, and outcome measures (loneliness, affect, and self-efficacy). Although there were no significant findings between filial responsibility, affect, and self-efficacy, results indicated that past instrumental care served to buffer against loneliness. Results also indicated that eldest male children in Chinese American families are most heavily burdened.; Overall, the findings stress the importance of including cultural norms in studies of well-being. While current theoretical models are often based upon empirical support from mainstream cultures, they may not be as applicable to cultural groups whose norms and values are dissimilar.