Purpose: To systematically review and synthesize existing findings on acculturation and its implications on parenting for Chinese immigrants.
Method: Three electronic databases were searched for original research articles that examined acculturation and its influence on parenting in Chinese immigrants.
Results: Twenty-two studies were included. Findings suggest that acculturation influences parenting beliefs, attitudes, and practices, as well as parent-child relationships among Chinese immigrants. Acculturation discrepancies between parents and children are associated with negative child outcomes.
Discussion and conclusions: Further research is needed to better understand the relationships among acculturation and parenting perceptions, parent-child relationships, and parent-child acculturation discrepancies and associated child outcomes. In particular, longitudinal studies with larger samples and multiple methods are needed to suggest causal inferences and validate these relationships.
Implications for practice: Nurses are at the unique junction to identify these problems through interacting with individuals and families at the clinical and mental/community health levels.
Keywords: Chinese; acculturation; family health; immigrant; parent; parenting; public health policy; transcultural health.