Sibling Acculturation Discrepancy, Sibling Relationship Quality and Adjustment among

181 Pages·2017·1.51 MB·English

by  Trang Le

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers
2011
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Trang Le
University of Windsor
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Le, Trang, "Sibling Acculturation Discrepancy, Sibling Relationship Quality and Adjustment among
Vietnamese and Chinese Young Adults in Canada: A Mixed-Method Approach" (2011). Electronic Theses
and Dissertations. 489.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/489
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SIBLING ACCULTURATION DISCREPANCY,
SIBLING RELATIONSHIP QUALITY AND ADJUSTMENT
AMONG VIETNAMESE AND CHINESE YOUNG ADULTS IN CANADA:
A MIXED-METHOD APPROACH

By
Trang K. Le

A Dissertation
Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
through Psychology
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the
University of Windsor

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

2011

©2011 Trang K. Le
iii

Author’s Declaration of Originality

I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this
thesis has been published or submitted for publication.

I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon
anyone‟s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques,
quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis,
published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard
referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted
material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada
Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright
owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such
copyright clearances to my appendix.

I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as
approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has
not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.
iv

ABSTRACT
The present research represents an expansion of the acculturation gap-distress
model by investigating the role of acculturation discrepancies in the adjustment of
Vietnamese and Chinese young adults. A concurrent mixed-method nested, quantitative
dominant design was employed. A comparison between actual and perceived sibling
acculturation discrepancy was also examined as well as differences between Vietnamese
and Chinese young adults on the key study variables. Thematic analysis of the qualitative
data was conducted to further shed light on the quantitative findings.
Two samples were collected: the main data set comprised of 150 Vietnamese and
Chinese young adults and the sibling pairs data set comprised of 18 pairs of siblings.
Questionnaires on self-reported and perceived bilinear acculturation, sibling relationship
quality, psychological adjustment, intercultural adjustment difficulties and demographic
data were administered online. Qualitative data was collected using eight open-ended
questions regarding sibling acculturation discrepancy and sibling relations.
Quantitative results showed that sibling acculturation discrepancy uncorrelated
with psychological adjustment or intercultural adjustment difficulties. Further, sibling
conflict moderated the relationship between perceived sibling heritage acculturation
discrepancy and intercultural competence difficulties and predicted psychological
adjustment. Analyses also revealed that siblings accurately perceived acculturation
discrepancies. Further, actual and perceived acculturation discrepancy were both
associated with psychological adjustment and intercultural competence difficulties.
Finally, Chinese young adults were more likely to report higher heritage acculturation
and sibling warmth than Vietnamese young adults.
Qualitative results revealed seven themes of which three were related to the
quantitative results. First, siblings defined acculturation in both multi-factorial and
bilinear terms. A multi-factorial and bilinear approach to acculturation measurement may
have enhanced the present study. In addition, siblings were aware of differences in
acculturation between themselves, but they employed many strategies to cope with
perceived acculturation differences to help mitigate sibling conflict and distress. The
association between sibling conflict and psychological adjustment found in this study
may be related to the way siblings cope with acculturation differences.
v

This study expands upon the acculturation gap-distress model to include siblings
as an important context within which to study immigrant adjustment and adaptation. The
implications of its findings are discussed.
vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The coming together of my dissertation could not have happened without the
assistance of many people. First and foremost, I would like to give much thanks and
gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Ben Kuo, for his unwavering support, guidance and
encouragement throughout this process. His confidence in me and enthusiasm for my
ideas enabled me to take on the challenge of pursuing research that was not only of
academic interest to me, but was also a personal journey of self-discovery. For this and so
much more, I am truly grateful.
I am pleased to thank my committee members, Dr. Julie Hakim-Larson, Dr.
Cheryl Thomas, Dr. Wansoo Park, and Dr. Christine Tardif-Williams for their expertise
and insightful comments and suggestions which helped to further strengthen my
dissertation. I want to extend many thanks to the Vietnamese and Chinese young adults
who were willing to participate in this study and to those who helped me collect this
invaluable data by forwarding my study to their friends and family.
I am so very appreciative for my friend and colleague, Karey Wilson. I am so
fortunate to have met such a beautiful and free spirit, and to have her as my confidante
throughout my graduate training. Her never-ending optimism and overwhelming faith in
me inspires me to keep on moving and to never give up on myself. I am also very grateful
for my dear friend, Karen Vyn. She has been an incredible source of comfort and support
to me throughout this arduous process. Her sensitivity, compassion, and understanding
have carried me through some very tough times and she has shown me the gentler and
sweeter part of life.
I cannot give enough thanks and recognition to my partner, Gero Mazza, for his
honesty, strength, and incredible sense of humour. He has brought much happiness and
joy into my life. He believed in me when I was in doubt; he held me up when I could not
stand; he pushed me forward when I wanted to fall back, and most of all, I am thankful
that he fed me when I was hungry.
Last, but not least, I want to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to my
family without whom I would not be the person I am today. My parents travelled across
the ocean and suffered immensely to give me and my siblings a better life in Canada. I
am eternally grateful to them for the many sacrifices they have made to make my dreams
vii

a reality. My siblings, Kim, Loan and Ryan have profoundly enriched my life. I am so
grateful to have them by my side on this journey through life. To Kim, I am grateful for
her kindness, fun-loving spirit, and uncanny ability to put a smile on my face even in the
darkest of times. To Loan, I am grateful for her fearless and adventurous nature, which
has taught me to never be afraid to try something new even if it means going against the
norm. To Ryan, I am grateful for his thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and gentle heart which
has comforted me in many difficult times throughout our lives. “Other things may change
us, but we start and end with family” – Anthony Brandt.
viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR‟S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY iii
ABSTRACT iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi
LIST OF TABLES xiii
LIST OF FIGURES xv
LIST OF APPENDICES xvi
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. LITERATURE REVIEW 4
Acculturation Discrepancy 4
Definition and Theory 4
Measurement of Acculturation Discrepancy 6
Perceived versus Actual Acculturation Discrepancy 9
Acculturation Outcomes 10
Perceived Parent-Child Acculturation Discrepancy, 12
Maladjustment and Conflict
Family Conflict as a Mediator or Moderator 13
Family Systems Perspective of Siblings 14
Siblings 15
Siblings Across the Lifespan 16
Siblings in Vietnamese and Chinese Cultures 17
Sibling Acculturation Discrepancy and 18
Family Relations
Sibling Relationship Quality 19
Conceptualization of Sibling Relationship Quality 19
Sibling Relationship Quality in Young Adulthood 20
Sibling Relationship Quality and 23
Socio-emotional Development
Sibling Relationship Quality and 24
Psychological Adjustment
ix

The Present Study 25
Research Questions and Hypotheses of the Study 28
Main Research Questions 29
Research Question 1: Relations between 29
Perceived Sibling Acculturation
Discrepancy and Adjustment
Research Question 2: Sibling Relationship 30
Quality as a Moderator or Mediator
Additional Research Questions 31
Research Question 3: Differences Between 31
Vietnamese and Chinese Young
Adults
Research Question 4: Sibling 31
Misperceptions of Acculturation
Discrepancies
Research Question 5: Actual or Perceived 32
Acculturation Discrepancy and
Adjustment Outcomes
III. METHODOLOGY 34
Participants 34
Main Sample 34
Sibling Pairs Sample 34
Recruitment 35
Sampling 35
Main Sample Recruitment Criteria 35
Sibling Pairs Recruitment Criteria 38
Recruitment Method 38
Main Sample 38
Sibling Pairs Sample 39
Compensation 39
Main Sample 39
x

Sibling Pairs Sample 39
Instrumentation 39
Demographic Questionnaire 40
Sibling Demographic Questionnaire 40
Predictor Variables 40
The Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) 40
The Short-form Adult Sibling Relationship 43
Questionnaire (ASRQ-S)
Outcomes Variables 44
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies 44
Depression Scale (CES-D)
The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) 45
Cultural Adjustment Difficulties Checklist (CADC) 46
Control Variables 47
General Ethnicity Questionnaire – 47
Language Scale (GEQ)
Qualitative Data 48
Open-ended Questions 48
Procedure 49
Use of Web-based Survey 49
Web-based Survey Procedure: Main Sample 51
Web-based Survey Procedure: Sibling Pairs Sample 53
Qualitative Data 54
IV. RESULTS 57
The Main Sample 58
Missing Data 58
Exploratory Factor Analysis of the CADC Items 58
Reliabilities of the Measures of the Main Study Variables 62
Perceived Sibling Acculturation Discrepancy Scores 64
Psychological Adjustment Composite Score 64
Descriptive Statistics of Study Measures – Main Sample 64