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Cultural divide in parenting: How “tiger parenting” and authoritarian parenting affect children’s mental health Taryn Jansen PSYC - 499 Pacific Lutheran University RUNNING HEAD: Cultural divide in parenting Jansen 1 Introduction Parents have long been under scrutiny for how they raise their children, whether they were too attentive or too neglectful, what style of punishment they were more inclined to use. The style of parenting used when raising a child has become a topic of fascination and interest, beginning in 1966 with Diana Baumrind who first coined the labels of authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful parenting styles. These labels are based on the precepts of attention and care (?) where if a parent ignores their child’s emotional, mental, and physical ​ ​ needs, they are considered neglectful parents. This study focuses on the authoritarian model of parenting where a child is expected to treat their parents with respect and assume their parents are the ultimate authority on everything. There is very little room for negotiation or understanding; the authoritarian model is considered the steadfast judge in everything. Authoritarian parenting is correlated with the use of physical punishment, such as spanking, along with harsh discipline styles, and has some negative correlations with children’s mental health. Calzada, Huang, Anicama, Fernandez, and Brotman (2012) found that the use of authoritarian parenting had a positive association with childhood depression and anxiety. Due to the harsh discipline commonly used with this style of parenting, children tend to internalize symptoms and have difficulty externalizing how they are feeling for fear of being ridiculed or invalidated. D’Souza et al. (2019) had similar findings; they were looking at how different parenting styles, discipline styles, along with maternal mental health predicted behavioral problems in children. The researchers discovered that the use of physical punishment, authoritarian parenting, as well as maternal depression had strong correlations with the development of serious behavioral problems. These serious behavioral problems can have RUNNING HEAD: Cultural divide in parenting Jansen 2 long-term implications such as impaired social interactions, low productivity levels, and detrimental effects on physical, mental, and emotional health well into later adulthood. However, there are a couple of conflicting findings in regards to authoritarian parenting and how it affects children’s mental health. Greening, Stoppelbein, and Luebbe (2010) investigated the effects of parenting styles on suicidal behaviors with African-American and Caucasian children. They found that authoritarian parenting style mediated suicidal symptoms; children even reported fewer suicidal behaviors. The researchers also discovered that African-American children, who reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, reported fewer suicidal behaviors when their parents scored higher on authoritarian parenting scales. The researchers referenced cultural and ethnic differences for this significant finding; being that in African-American cultures, there is more emphasis on respect and “hard” parenting which can beneficial for the children’s psychosocial adjustment. Authoritarian parenting can also be perceived differently among African-American children and Caucasian children. This study also cited the fact that authoritarian parenting is a very Western notion that may not be applicable to all ethnicities or cultures. Tiger Parenting The term “tiger parenting” was not officially recognized until Ruth Chao wrote about the topic in 1994. She emphasized the training aspect, especially how it is viewed within a cultural context. Chao pointed out that authoritarian parenting is an ethnocentric term and model, which makes it difficult to reference when studying other cultures. In her study, she investigated how Chinese and European-American mothers adapted to authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles, as well as introducing “Chinese child-rearing items” that were focused on the training RUNNING HEAD: Cultural divide in parenting Jansen 3 aspect. As expected, the Chinese mothers scored significantly higher on authoritarian parenting style, along with the training measures. She reasoned that these parenting approaches were to account for the higher academic success of Chinese children than European-American children who have a negative correlation between academic success and authoritarian parenting style. For Chinese parents, parenting is a role not taken lightly. Chinese culture is complex, to say the least, however, for the purposes of this study, we will be focusing on the Confuscian components. The use of guan, meaning “to govern”, is commonly associated with raising ​ ​ children. This establishment of control is not necessarily the process of dominating a child rather, this concept aims to build a foundation of efficiency and harmony within the family dynamics. Many Asian cultures have large, expanded families that can encompass not only grandparents but also aunts, uncles, and multiple cousins. To create hierarchy and harmony within this fragile, raucous family environment is crucial. By establishing respect, or “filial piety” in Confuscian terms, there is a clear familial hierarchy with elders at the top tier. The Chinese idea of training, or chia shun, is also important for raising children; it helps ​ ​ to instill filial piety. By modeling appropriate behaviors, mothers are training their children to be successful and respectful members of society. These children reflect well on the family and in a society based on a collective mindset, this is a huge indicator of the family’s integrity and honor. Teachers also play a key role in these concepts of training and governing. Within the classroom, children are expected to act appropriately and teachers will regularly remark on whether or not their expectations are being met (Tobin, Wu, and Davidson, 1989). By rewarding appropriate behavior, children are much more likely to engage in what is desired, rather than what is undesirable. RUNNING HEAD: Cultural divide in parenting Jansen 4 Tiger parenting is also not restricted to only Chinese culture; it is practiced in numerous Asian cultures. China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea; all of them have a foundation in Confucianism. Although not well documented or researched, there are a few articles that document how these different cultures approach parenting in a similar fashion. Significance This literature review is significant because there has been very little research studying the differences between authoritarian parenting style and tiger parenting. On top of this, there is scarce research analyzing tiger parenting and its implications for children’s mental health. There is a plethora of research investigating the correlation between authoritarian parenting style and children’s mental health however, little has been done to explore the cultural limitations of this parenting style. The hope of this research is to synthesize the available research on both parenting approaches, and investigate their correlations with children’s mental health, along with any protective factors. The aim of this literature review is not to answer whether one parenting style is more beneficial than the other; the ultimate goal is to help add cultural nuances. This paper will not declare a conqueror between the West and the East rather, this paper will try to create a discussion around parenting styles and the fact that no singular approach is perfect. There will always be adaptation and flexibility needed in parenting however, this literature review is aiming to bring more cultural awareness to the pedestal that is Baumrind’s parenting styles. RUNNING HEAD: Cultural divide in parenting Jansen 5 Methods The databases used for this literature review were PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. The keywords used for the numerous searches were as follows: “tiger parenting”, authoritarian parenting, children’s mental health, parental psychological control, shaming, coercive parenting, protective factors for children’s mental health. These were used isolated, as well as together in different combinations, to find useful articles. Once articles were found, a review of the titles and abstracts was practiced to filter through out articles that did not pertain to the topic of this literature review. If the titles and abstracts did not give enough information, review of the full publication occurred. Because of the specific cultural background that “tiger parenting” has, some demographics searched for, such as Asian parenting, Chinese parenting styles, Asian American mental health, among other inclusive Asian misnomers. Thus far, Chinese culture has dominated the literature, with some nod to Japanese and Vietnamese. With further investigation, the hope is to find more inclusive literature towards Southeastern Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and others. Literature investigating children’s mental health can range from anxiety and depression to internet addiction, or even social and academic deficits. The wide inclusion of mental health is due to children’s mental health manifesting in countless different ways. There is no one way for parenting effects to benefit or affect children therefore, by including a spectrum of mental health effects, this literature review can continue to encompass a wide range with an otherwise limiting scope like “tiger parenting”.

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