Understanding and Addressing Parent-Adolescent Conflict in Asian American Families

There is a need to better understand the intergenerational and cultural dynamics of parent-adolescent conflict in Asian American families. In this chapter, we provide a synthesis and critique of theories, as well as methodologies, on Asian American family conflicts. We adopt the embedded contexts model (Szapocznik and Kurtines, Hisp J Behav Sci 6(4), 317–344, 1993), which emphasizes interactions between typical intergenerational conflict and conflict due to cultural differences, to better understand family conflicts in Asian American families. We further critique empirically supported intervention strategies for addressing family conflict. At the family-system level, we review the literature on culturally grounded interventions and culturally adapted interventions. At the individual level, we review the coping strategies in addressing family conflict based on protective and risk factor considerations. We conclude with findings from a pilot study on the application of an expressive writing intervention to address Asian American family conflict.