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Authors: Maja Västhagen (Karolinska Institutet), Agnes von Schreeb (Karolinska Institutet), Birgitta Kimber (Umeå University), Metin Özdemir (Örebro University), Pia Enebrink (Karolinska institutet)
Background: Parenting adolescents presents universal challenges, which are further intensified when navigating a new cultural context. The post migration stressors immigrant parents often face and accompanying decline in parental self-efficacy underscore the need for support using, such as culturally sensitive parenting programs. This qualitative study explored newly resettled parents’ experiences of a universal parenting program, conducted as part of a larger randomized controlled trial, to develop insight into parents’ own narratives of participating in a parenting support program.
Method: Interviews were conducted with 17 parents speaking Somali, Arabic and Dari, who had completed the program. All parents/caregivers cared for at least one child 10-18 years and came to Sweden after 2015. The interviews were analyzed through content analysis.
Results: The synthesis of the data yielded a central theme: “Parental self-efficacy through new perspectives”, supported by three categories: “Rooting parenting in a new culture”, “Strengthening parenting skills” and “Reaching out to parents”. These categories encompass learning about the new society, balancing cultural contrasts, enhancing general parenting skills, and identifying barriers and facilitators such as fear of social institutions and the value of social support.
Discussion: This culturally sensitive parenting program for immigrant parents seems to be accepted and efficient in strengthening parental self-efficacy. These qualitative findings complement the quantitative results from the RCT by providing additional insight into parents’ experiences and highlight how culturally sensitive interventions can empower immigrant parents and help mitigate post-migration stressors in daily parenting context.
| Conflict of interest | The authors declare that they have no potential conflict of interest with respect to the content of this presentation. |
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