Acculturative Family Distancing during times of COVID: Fostering Connection and Increasing Resilience, Dr. We-Chin Hwang, Claremont McKenna College
This talk provides an overview of Acculturative Family Distancing (AFD) and its impact on immigrant families. Knowledge of acculturative processes and their impact on immigrant families remains quite limited. AFD is the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and their children, and consists of breakdowns in communication and cultural value differences (Hwang, 2006; 2011). It is a more proximal and problem-focused formulation of the acculturation gap and has been shown to increase mental health problems among parents and youth/children via the increase of family conflict (Fujimoto & Hwang, 2014; Hwang & Wood, 2009; Hwang, Wood, & Fujimoto, 2010). This effect holds above and beyond the impact of the more distal notion of the acculturation gap, and highlights the need to address this more proximal and clinically relevant risk factor. Prevention and intervention programs that target communication problems between parents-youth and help them negotiate intergenerational and cultural value differences are needed. Recommendations for fostering connection and increasing individual and family resilience will be provided.