Parental Overprotection, Cultural Value Conflict, and Psychological Adaptation among Asian Indian Women in America

The present study related generational status, marital status, parental overprotection (control), and cultural value conflict to self-esteem and depression among first and second-generation Asian Indian immigrant women in the south-midwestern United States. Self-report data from 73 community-dwelling women supported the hypotheses that unmarried and second-generation women would report greater maternal control and cultural value conflict than would married and first-generation women. Second-generational status, high maternal control, and high cultural value conflict correlated with higher depressive symptomology; being married, low maternal control, and low cultural value conflict were related to high self-esteem. Regression analyses indicated a mediating role for cultural value conflict for depression symptom predictors, but not for self-esteem predictors. Open-ended response data provided enriched understanding of these women’s cultural and family conflicts.