Korean American Adolescents’ and Their Parents’ Perceptions of Acculturative Stress

PROBLEM The purpose of this study was to describe Korean American adolescents' (KAAs') and their parents' perceptions of KAAs' experiences with acculturative stress and to examine the congruity between their perceptions.

METHOD This study used the qualitative descriptive method. Twenty KAAs aged 11-14 years and their 21 parents participated in in-depth, face-to-face interviews.

FINDINGS Qualitative content analysis revealed that KAAs and their parents reported similar views regarding acculturative stress experienced by KAAs: peer relationships, being treated differently or unfairly, pressure to excel academically and be successful, and strained parent-child relationships.

CONCLUSION Culturally and developmentally relevant interventions focusing on strengthening peer relationships and parent-child relationships are needed for this population.