The Impact of Immigrant Parental Stress on the Risk of Child Maltreatment among Korean Immigrant Parents

The purpose of this study was to examine whether immigrant parental stress predicts the risk of child maltreatment better than previously identified risk factors. Data were collected from 366 Korean immigrant parents who have at least one unmarried child (migrant or U.S. born child). Participants completed the Conflict Tactics Scales: Parent-Child version (CTSPC) and Immigrant Parental Stress Inventory (IPSI). A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify significant predictors for the risk of child maltreatment. The final model with immigrant parental stress significantly predicted the risk of child maltreatment better than the initial model including only previously identified risk factors. Immigrant parental stress was the strongest predictor of psychologically aggressive and neglectful behaviors. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are suggested.