Date

5-20-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Jerra Dooley

Keywords

Asian immigrants, Asian Americans, intergenerational relationships, intergenerational cultural conflicts, acculturation gaps, filial piety

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

Many studies have examined the challenges U.S. immigrants face during acculturation, but few have examined Asian immigrants’ intergenerational relationships with their adult children. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Asian American adults in intergenerational relationships with their first-generation immigrant parents. The theoretical frameworks were Berry’s Acculturation Theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, and the Christian Worldview. The central research question was: How do Asian American adults describe and make meaning of their intergenerational relationships with first-generation immigrant parents? Participants were nine Asian Americans, aged 23 to 35, with at least one first-generation Asian immigrant parent, who had experienced intergenerational cultural conflicts. Screening and demographics questionnaires were posted on the website www.asianamericansir.org. Data were collected through virtual interviews and post-interview journal entries and analyzed using a phenomenological approach. Findings were presented in four themes: Communication barriers, acculturation gaps and cultural differences, authority and parent expectations, and evolving relationship dynamics. Findings suggested that communication barriers, cultural mismatch, parental expectations on education, and filial piety values were the major sources of conflicts in immigrant families. However, having empathy for immigrant parents’ migration struggles, recognizing aging parents’ needs, and embracing filial piety led to changes in parent-adult-child relational dynamics and increased emotional closeness. Future studies are needed to explore ways to improve communication in immigrant families, to balance the East-West cultural dichotomy, to increase awareness of filial piety, and to apply biblical principles in parent-child relationships.

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