Parenting distress and parental investment of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a
child having an emotional or behavioural problem: a qualitative study |
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Authors: | Joyce L C Ma Kelly Lai† Shuk Han Pun‡ |
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Institution: | Professor, Department of Social Work, and;Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and;Research Officer, Women's Division, Health and Welfare Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong, China |
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Abstract: | This qualitative study aims to understand the parenting distress and parental investment of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a child having an emotional or behavioural problem. The parents of 24 children and adolescents who sought psychiatric consultation within the study period were interviewed using open‐ended questions. The data revealed a vicious reciprocal interaction in which the symptoms affected the parents’ psychosocial well‐being, which in turn impacted unfavourably on the identified patient. With three exceptions, the parents in this study had engaged in different activities prior to the psychiatric consultation, including information search, changes in the methods of parenting, attempts to reduce family stress, reliance on superstitious beliefs, and reaching out for professional help and social services. The parental investment indicated parents’ resilience in facing the child’s problems. Implications for service development and social work intervention are discussed. |
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Keywords: | child emotional/behavioural problem Hong Kong Chinese parents parental investment parenting distress qualitative study |
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