Parenting Among Rohingya and Afghan Refugee Parents Residing in Malaysia

• Published date: 01 April 2021
• Author: Stacey A. Shaw,Veena Pillai,Chongming Yang,Sherinah Saasa
• Date: 01 April 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12518

S A. SBrigham Young University

V PDhi Consulting & Training

C Y  S SBrigham Young University

Parenting Among Rohingya and Afghan Refugee

Parents Residing in Malaysia

Objective: This study examined the measure-

ment properties of parenting-related measures

among 140 Rohingya and Afghan refugee par-

ents residing in Malaysia, then examined factors

associated with these parenting outcomes.

Background: Unprecedented numbers of forced

migrant families reside in countries of rst asy-

lum with temporary status and limited legal

rights. Limited research examines parenting

experiences among these communities.

Method: To examine construct validity and

reliability of parenting-related measures among

this sample, we carried out conrmatory factor

analysis to examine respectively the factor

structure of scales measuring underlying latent

constructs of Child Adjustment & Parent Ef-

cacy, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire,

and the Family Functioning Scale. Their asso-

ciations with individual (gender, age, ethnicity,

education), social (marital status, number of

children), and environmental factors (time

in Malaysia, food insecurity, employment,

and emotional distress) were examined using

structural equation modeling.

Results: Residing in Malaysia for a longer

period of time was associated with higher child

behavioral intensity, lower parent self-efcacy,

Brigham Young University, School of Social Work, 2175

JFSB, Provo, UT 84602 (stacey_shaw@byu.edu).

Key Words: asylum seeker, forced migration, malaysia,

parenting, refugee.

and higher family conict. Food insecurity was

associated with lower parent self-efcacy, and

being employed was associated with positive

parenting as well as poor supervision. Higher

levels of emotional distress were associated

with higher child behavioral intensity, lower

parent self-efcacy, and lower levelsof poor

supervision.

Conclusion: Displacement challenges nega-

tively affect refugee parents and families.

Implications: Solutions are needed that bolster

the abilities of forced migrants to establish per-

manence and provide for their families. Addi-

tionally, attention toward the unique challenges

of refugee families can guide service provision

within countries of rst asylum.

Forced migration contexts present unique

challenges for refugee families and parents.

Although concerns related to protecting and

providing for one’s children often motivate par-

ents’ decisions to migrate, families experience

stress related to premigration experiences and

the process of adjusting to a new environment

(Lewig et al., 2010; Low et al., 2014; Stewart

et al., 2015). The majority of research examin-

ing the experiences of refugee parents has been

conducted in countries of resettlement or per-

manent asylum. Although resettlement contexts

vary, some parents struggle to navigate between

traditional parenting practices and expectations

in the new setting (Deng & Marlowe, 2013;

514Family Relations 70 (April 2021): 514–528

DOI:10.1111/fare.12518