Parenting, Parent-Adolescent Relationships and Adolescent Wellbeing BY AZIZE ASLIHAN NISAN

383 Pages·2016·4.21 MB·English

Turkish Immigrant Families in the US: Parenting, Parent-Adolescent Relationships and
Adolescent Wellbeing

BY

AZIZE ASLIHAN NISANCI
B.A., Bogazici University, 2004
M.A., Bogazici University, 2007
M.S.W., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2011

DISSERTATION
Submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
in the Graduate College of the
University of Illinois at Chicago, 2016

Chicago, Illinois

Defense Committee:
James P. Gleeson, Chair and Advisor
Mark Mattaini
Cassandra McKay-Jackson
Gina B. Gaston
Rooshey Hasnain, Department of Disability and Human Development
To my parents…

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, I am fully indebted to my committee chair and advisor Dr. James
Gleeson for his guidance and support throughout my dissertation project. In addition to offering
suggestions and advice during the preperation stages, Dr. Gleeson provided very detailed and
fruitful feedback to the drafts of my dissertation. These timely suggestions and feedback played a
very significant role in its successful completion. I think that only a small proportion of graduate
students would have access to such quality and consistency of supervision and mentorship.
I would also like to express my deep gratitute to the other committee members who have
supported this project and provided suggestions and advice. I am thankful to Dr. Rooshey
Hasnain for helping me better understand the strentghs of qualitative research and for inspiring
me with her activism on behalf of immigrant communities. My special thanks also go to Dr.
Cassandra McKay-Jackson who has supported this project since the very beginning of it and who
offered insightful and inspring comments throughout the project. I have learned a lot from Dr.
Gina Gaston during my work with her as her research assistant and during my consultation with
her regarding the content and structure of my dissertation. Dr. Mark Mattaini has been an
inspiration as an outstanding scholar. I am thankful to him for his encouragement and support for
helping me formulate this research agenda to a dissertation project.
I owe much to my parents Cafer Akman and Mualla Akman who have supported me at
every step of my life. My father inspired my to pursue an academic career. As always, my
mother offered very precious help during my graduate education especially when I was writing
this dissertation and, therefore, I dedicate this dissertation to her. My husband Zubeyir Nisanci
supported me emotionally and intellectually as well. As a sociologist, he shared insightful
comments about my project. More importantly, his friendship and compassion offered me the
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comfort and strenght in times of hardships and difficulties. Our daughter Mediha and our son
Ibrahim, with their presence and with their joy, took away the stress of graduate student life.
I am also thankful to parents and adolescents who participated in this study and opened
their lives and hearts to me. It was a pleasure to learn your experiences and hear your voices.
Last but not the least, my thanks go to the fellow graduate students in my cohort for their
continual support and encouragements throughout my graduate studies at UIC and especially
when I was writing the dissertation.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
A. Background .......................................................................................................................... 1
B. Rationale and Significance of the Study .............................................................................. 3
C. Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 5
A. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 7
B. Theoretical Models on Immigration Experience .............................................................. 7
1. Assimilation theories ........................................................................................................ 8
2. Critique of segmented assimilation theory ..................................................................... 11
3. Acculturation theory ....................................................................................................... 12
4. Critique of Acculturation Theory ................................................................................... 15
C. Immigrant Adolescents’ Well-being .................................................................................... 16
1. Definition of well-being in the empirical research......................................................... 16
2. Factors that affect immigrant adolescent well-being and adaptation ................................ 17
3. Immigration, identity, and well-being ............................................................................... 22
D. Immigrant Family Environment, Parenting, and Adolescent Well-being/Identity ............ 27
1. The effect of immigration on parenting ............................................................................. 27
2. Family as a protective factor ............................................................................................. 29
3. Family as a risk factor ....................................................................................................... 31
E. Immigrant Muslim Families, Parents, and Adolescent Well-Being in U.S. ...................... 33
1. Adaptation and well-being of Muslim adolescents ........................................................... 33
2. Parenting and family values .............................................................................................. 35
F. Turkish Immigrant Adolescents and Families ................................................................... 37
1. Acculturation, identity, and well-being of immigrant Turkish adolescents ...................... 37
2. Family environment and parenting .................................................................................... 42
G. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 44
III. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................... 47
A. Critical Acculturation Psychology ................................................................................. 47
B. Ecological Perspective ................................................................................................... 49
1. Are critical acculturation psychology and ecological perspective compatible? ............ 51
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C. Theoretical Sensitivity.................................................................................................... 52
IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 55
A. Research Design and the Method of Investigation......................................................... 55
B. Sampling......................................................................................................................... 57
1. Selection criteria ............................................................................................................. 57
2. Sample size and rationale ............................................................................................... 58
3. Recruitment method ....................................................................................................... 62
C. Data Collection ..................................................................................................................... 66
1. Data collection procedures ............................................................................................. 66
2. Training of the second interviewer and the second coder .............................................. 68
3. Human subject protections ............................................................................................. 68
4. Trustworthiness and transferability ................................................................................ 71
D. Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 73
1. Analysis style ................................................................................................................. 73
2. Levels of analysis ........................................................................................................... 75
V. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................... 77
A. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 77
B. Parent Perspectives on Parenting in America ................................................................ 77
2. Perception Level Factors and Parenting ......................................................................... 87
3. Parenting practices and parent-child relationships ....................................................... 131
C. Parent Perspectives on Parenting-Adolescent Well-being Relationship ...................... 164
1. Children in fishbowl? Overprotectiveness as negative side of parental monitoring .... 164
2. Supporting adolescent self-confidence and well-being ................................................ 167
3. Extended family in Turkey and adolescent well-being ................................................ 171
D. Adolescent Perspectives on Parenting in America .......................................................... 174
1. Awareness of immigrant parenting .............................................................................. 175
E. Adolescent Perspectives on Parenting-Adolescent Well-being Relationship .................. 184
1. Responses to parents’ cultural concerns and exposures ............................................... 184
F. Member Checking Survey Results................................................................................... 233
G. Common and Distinctive Themes across Families .......................................................... 234
1. Research question 1 ...................................................................................................... 235
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2. Research question 2 ...................................................................................................... 241
VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 249
A. Parent and Adolescent Perspectives on the Research Questions ..................................... 249
1. The effects of immigration on parenting ...................................................................... 249
2. The effects of parenting on adolescent well-being....................................................... 255
3. Families in comparison ................................................................................................ 261
B. Conceptual Frameworks Revisited............................................................................... 263
1. Ecological perspective.................................................................................................. 263
2. Critical acculturation psychology................................................................................. 268
C. Study Limitations ......................................................................................................... 270
D. Implications...................................................................................................................... 272
1. Implications for social work practice and policy ......................................................... 272
2. Implications for social work education ........................................................................ 277
3. Recommendations for future research.......................................................................... 278
CITED LITERATURE ............................................................................................................ 280
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................... 290
APPENDIX A: Parent Interview Guide and Family Demographics Questions ..................... 291
APPENDIX B: Adolescent Interview Guide (First or 1.5 Generation) .................................. 296
APPENDIX C: Adolescent Interview Guide (Second Generation) ........................................ 298
APPENDIX D: Parent Consent and Permission Form for Participation in Research ............. 300
APPENDIX E: Adolescent Consent Form for Participation in Research ............................... 308
APPENDIX F: Assent to Participate in Research ................................................................... 313
APPENDIX G: Email Announcement .................................................................................... 316
APPENDIX H: Phone Recruitment Script for Parents ........................................................... 317
APPENDIX I: Phone Response Script for Parents ................................................................. 320
APPENDIX J: Email Recruitment Script for Parents ............................................................. 323
APPENDIX K: Email Response Script for Parents ................................................................ 326
APPENDIX L: Initial Adolescent Phone/Face-to-face Contact Script ................................... 329
APPENDIX M: Initial Adolescent Email Contact Script ....................................................... 332
APPENDIX N: Follow-up Interview Invitation Scripts ......................................................... 334
APPENDIX O: Snowball Sampling Information Script (For Participants) ............................ 336
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APPENDIX P: Member Check Invitation Script (Email) ....................................................... 338
APPENDIX Q: Family Eligibility Screening, Contact Information, and Tracking Form ...... 339
APPENDIX R: Study Flyer .................................................................................................... 344
APPENDIX S: Study Flyer (Turkish) ..................................................................................... 346
APPENDIX T: YOUTH AND FAMILY RESOURCES IN CHICAGO ............................... 348
APPENDIX U: YOUTH AND FAMILY RESOURCES IN INDIANAPOLIS AREA ......... 358
APPENDIX V: TURKISH CONSULATE GENERAL LETTER OF COMMITMENT ...... 365
VITA........................................................................................................................................... 366

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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I: PARENT AND ADOLESCENT DEMOGRAPHICS............................................60

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LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
Figure 1. Factors that affect Turkish parents’ parenting in America. ........................................... 78
Figure 2. Factors that influence Turkish parents’ parenting in America. ................................... 236
Figure 3. Sources of parenting stress. ......................................................................................... 238
Figure 4. Religion and parental stress. ........................................................................................ 240
Figure 5. Turkish culture, parenting, and adolescent well-being ................................................ 242
Figure 6. American culture, parenting, and adolescent well-being. ........................................... 244
Figure 7. Religion, parenting, and adolescent well-being. ......................................................... 246
Figure 8. Parental monitoring styles and adolescent well-being. ............................................... 248
Figure 9. Factors that affect parenting and adolescent well-being outcomes. ............................ 254
Figure 10. The adolescents’ experiences of having immigrant parents. ..................................... 260

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