1. Parenting Practices and Identity Outcomes in Arab Youth
Nancy Howells Wrobel
University of Michigan - Dearborn

2. Focus on Parenting Across Cultures
Six Central Dimensions of Child Training
Pressure Towards Compliance
Obedience
Responsibility
Nurturance
Pressure Towards Assertion
Achievement
Self-Reliance
General Independence Training

3. Parent Ethnotheories May be impacted by: Sociopolitical Orientation
Transitions due to Immigration
Cultural Change

4. Parenting Styles in Collectivistic vs. Individualistic Cultures
Collectivistic Cultures
Avoidance of Uncertainty
Obedience
Benefit Group and Promote Harmony
Individualistic Cultures
Individuality
Independence
Self-Reliance

5. Baumrind Parenting Styles
Authoritarian
Emphasize obedience and parental control
Restriction of autonomy
Expect rules to be followed without question
Low in nurturance and affection
Permissive
Emphasizes autonomy and self-regulation
Allow the child to make own decisions
High in nurturance, but low in control
Authoritative
Utilizes a moderate degree of control
Fosters increasing levels of autonomy in the child
Limits are set, accompanied by verbal explanations and flexibility

6. Applicability of Styles Across Cultures
In Western/Individualistic Cultures
Authoritative Style favored
Authoritarian Style associated with poor mental health outcomes
Application in Collectivistic Cultures
Outcomes appear to differ
There may be overlapping but unique constructs
Adolescent perceptions may mediate the outcome
Parental characteristics of types may vary across cultures

7. Parenting Styles in Arab Countries
Collective and Authoritarian Norms
Arab Youth Attitude Regarding Parenting
Results of Two Early Single Group Studies
Positive impact of authoritative style
No impact of authoritarian style

8. Global Studies Point to New Dimensions
Controlling
A combination of authoritarian and authoritative
Flexible
A combination of authoritative and permissive
Inconsistent
Comprised of two opposite styles, authoritarian and
permissive

9. Distinctions in Style Between Countries
Controlling Style
Saudi Arabia
Palestinians in Gaza Strip
Flexible
Lebanon
Jordan
Algeria
Mixed/Inconsistent Patterns
Yemen
Palestinians in Israel

10. Connectedness, Style, and Consistency
Connectedness is higher for Arab families relative to Americans
Emotional
Financial
Functional
When connectedness was viewed along with consistency
Authoritative parenting - related to high connectedness, better mental health
Inconsistent parenting – less connected
Connectedness – related to positive mental health
Authoritarian parenting was only detrimental when combined with permissiveness in an inconsistent style

11. Consistency Control and Rejection
Acceptance/rejection, control and inconsistency are examined across Western and Eastern countries
Parental rejection is a robust factor, most notably in groups with high connectedness
Inconsistency predicts poor outcomes
Paternal inconsistency more problematic in West
Maternal inconsistency more problematic in East
High control outcomes also vary
Again, gender differences with high maternal control problematic in East; paternal more problematic in West
Paternal control not problematic in authoritarian countries, such as Kuwait
Inconsistency as common thread

12. Parenting in Immigrant Families: Variations in Acculturation, Control and Support
Strong Impact of Parental Variables in Arab Immigrants
May exhibit variations in parenting style
High in connectedness and hierarchical organization
As a result, degree of parental acculturation is likely to impact acculturation of youth

13. Bi-cultural Adaptation in 2nd Generation Immigrants
Focus on autonomy-supporting vs. controlling parenting style
Second generation youth tend to favor host culture
Predicted that when parents were perceived as fostering autonomy, youth had higher endorsement of natal culture
This was true for paternal, but not maternal style

14. Parental Influence on Bi-Cultural Adaptation in Arab Americans
Predicted that Arab American college students would be highly influenced by parent acculturation practices and attitudes
Levels of parental control interacted with parent acculturation attitudes
Openness to American culture predicted well-being when parents were highly controlling
Low openness to American culture and high control predicted poorer outcomes
Preservation of Arab culture and low parental control fostered autonomy and higher well being

15. Conclusions
For Arab families in the Middle East and Arab American immigrants, preservation of Arab culture is beneficial
When faced with immigration or cultural change, parental openness to the host culture may lead to better outcomes for youth
Expectations of rigid adherence to the natal culture will be less successful than approaches that support autonomy
Researchers and clinicians should be aware that maintenance of the culture of origin is beneficial, and that “good” parenting may take different forms across cultural groups