Culture-Specific Resilience Intervention for Stressed Chinese Parents of Preschoolers: Quasi-Experimental Controlled Trial

Purpose: Resilience-based interventions have been found to prevent deleterious stress reactions in parent–child dyads. Existing conceptual models and interventions developed mainly in Western cultures; both theoretical and practical cultural adaptations are scarce. This study developed a culture-specific, resilience-based intervention for highly stressed Chinese parents and examined the effects of culture on intervention outcomes.

Method: Ninety-one Chinese parents from Hong Kong with elevated stress levels were allocated to either the intervention or treatment-as-usual (TAU) conditions. Data were collected during preintervention, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up.

Results: The intervention group significantly outperformed the TAU group in enhancing parental self-kindness and reducing children's total pathological symptoms. Both groups showed reduced parental stress and anxiety, reduced children's internalizing symptoms, and improved emotional flexibility. Furthermore, those living with grandparents resulted in a greater reduction in parental stress, children's internalizing symptoms, and total pathological symptoms.

Discussion: Cultural influences can engender unique risks and resources, leading to culture-specific interventions.