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Strengthening Intergenerational/Intercultural Ties in Immigrant Families (SITIF): A Parenting Intervention to Bridge the Chinese American Intergenerational Acculturation Gap

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Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Psychiatry ((CCPSY))

Abstract

Intergenerational and intercultural conflict is a significant stressor in immigrant families that occurs because of differential acculturation between migrant parents and their children. In spite of its negative mental health consequences, few empirically tested interventions address this problem. Strengthening Intergenerational/Intercultural Ties in Immigrant Families (SITIF) is a culturally sensitive, community-based intervention that aims to strengthen the intergenerational relationship. It promotes immigrant parents’ emotional awareness and empathy for their children’s experiences, cognitive knowledge and understanding of differences between their native and American cultures, and teaches behavioral parenting skills with the objective of enhancing intergenerational intimacy. SITIF was tested with a group of 16 middle class and 14 working class immigrant Chinese parents. Using objective and subjective assessment tools, the findings provide empirical support for SITIF’s effectiveness in enhancing parenting skills and strengthening the intergenerational relationship in immigrant Chinese American families.

This chapter is adapted from Ying, Y. Strengthening Intergenerational/Intercultural Ties in Immigrant Families (SITIF): A culturally-sensitive community-based intervention with Chinese American parents. J Immigr Refug Stud 2007; 5: 67–90.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School for Social Welfare, University of California, 120 Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-7400, USA

    Yu-Wen Ying

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  1. Yu-Wen Ying
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Correspondence to Yu-Wen Ying .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Nhi-Ha Trinh

  2. Mental Health Division, Family, Youth, and Children’s Services, City of Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Yanni Chun Rho

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Francis G. Lu

  4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kathy Marie Sanders (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry)

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Ying, YW. (2009). Strengthening Intergenerational/Intercultural Ties in Immigrant Families (SITIF): A Parenting Intervention to Bridge the Chinese American Intergenerational Acculturation Gap. In: Trinh, NH., Rho, Y.C., Lu, F.G., Sanders, K.M. (eds) Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families. Current Clinical Psychiatry. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-437-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-437-1_3

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60327-436-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-437-1

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