Latent Profile Analysis of Parent-Child Conflict in Chinese American Immigrant Families

Frequent and intense parent-child conflict has long been identified as a risk factor for multiple mental health and substance use problems in adolescents. Children in immigrant families are especially susceptible to be exposed to parent-child conflict due to family stressors such as low SES and parent-child intergenerational differences in language and cultural orientations. Existing research on parent-child conflict in immigrant families tended to: a) focus on the overall frequency/intensity of conflict, but not the domains of conflict, b) examine the consequence of conflict on children’s adjustment, but not the antecedents/predictors of conflict. There is also a shortage of studies on parent-child conflict in pre-adolescent samples and Asian American immigrant families.   

The present study had two aims: (1) to examine profiles of parent-child conflict across 13 domains of family life in Chinese American immigrant families, and (2) to examine what family demographic and sociocultural factors predict conflict profiles. We used a socio-economically diverse sample of 238 1^st- and 2^nd-generation Chinese American children (M age = 9.2), their parents, and teachers. Parents and children separately rated the frequency and intensity of family conflict in each domain using the Issues Checklist. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to determine the profiles of conflict among parents and children, and multinomial logistic regressions were used to test child’s age, sex, externalizing behaviors, social competence, family SES, parenting styles, and parent-child cultural orientations as predictors of conflict profiles.

Results from the latent profile analysis suggested that parents best fit a three-profile model of conflict and children best fit a four-profile model. Parents’ profiles fell into low, moderate, and high conflict groups. Children’s profiles fell into a similar pattern, but with two moderate groups that differentiated by their endorsement of topics. One moderate group endorsed home and family-oriented topics, while the other moderate group endorsed interpersonal and socially oriented topics. Among the parents’ conflict profiles, higher Chinese orientation in parents and fewer externalizing problems in children predicted low conflict. Among the children’s conflict profiles, higher Western orientation in parents and older children predicted family-oriented conflict, and higher authoritarian parenting and more externalizing behaviors predicted moderate and high conflict.

The findings suggest that patterns of parent-child conflict among Chinese American immigrant families can be predicted by individual, family, and sociocultural variables. The findings have implications for family-centered interventions that coach parents and children to better communicate and resolve conflict among Asian American immigrant families.