Date of Award

5-2015

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership, Research and Technology

First Advisor

Dr. Karen Blaisure

Second Advisor

Dr. Patricia Reeves

Third Advisor

Dr. Richard Zinser

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Ángel Gullón-Rivera

Keywords

Family resilience, sojourning Japanese farnilies, Japanese expatriates, marital satisfaction, stress raising children, child adjustment

Abstract

This study examined processes of family resilience sojourning Japanese parents reported using while raising children (between the ages of 4 and 8) in the U.S., the relationship between family resilience and child behavior and impact of stressful life events, and predictors of the impact of stressful life events and child behavior. Seventy mothers and 37 fathers from six Japanese educational institutions completed self-report questionnaires. Measures included Japanese translations of the Family Resilience Assessment (Duncan Lane, 2011), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997), the Impact of Stressful Life Events Scale (Hasui et al., 2009), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction (Schumm et al., 1986), demographic items, and items developed for this study (stress raising children, time with children, English proficiency, and importance of being a parent to identity). The most frequently reported processes were positive outlook, transcendence, and make meaning. The least frequently reported were flexibility, social and economic resources, and open emotional expression. Parents reporting greater use of processes of family resilience reported lower impact of stressful life events, and lower levels of child behavior problems, particularly lower levels of externalizing behaviors. Mothers reporting greater use of processes of family resilience reported lower impact of stressful life events and lower levels of child externalizing problems; fathers reporting greater use of processes of family resilience reported lower levels of child externalizing problems and greater child pro-social behavior. The relationships disappeared when controlled for marital satisfaction and stress-related variables, except for the relationship between fathers’ reported use of processes of family resilience and child pro-social behavior. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that stress-related variables predicted child behavior problems; marital satisfaction and stress raising children predicted impact of stressful life events; and stress raising children predicted impact of stressful life events for mothers. Five processes of family resilience were associated with child behavior problems for the parents: positive outlook, flexibility, open emotional expression, problem-solving, and connectedness. Fathers’ open emotional expression and flexibility, and mothers’ problem-solving were associated with child behavior problems. Results highlight the importance of marital satisfaction and parental stress-related factors to children’s behavioral adjustment. Implications for parents, schools, teachers, and employers are included.

Comments

5th Advisor: Dr. Crystal Duncan Lane

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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