Resilience Congruence in Immigrant Mother-Child Dyads: Examining Intergenerational Dynamics Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Resilience is defined as an individual’s ability to adapt successfully to adversity. The ecological resilience-risk model has highlighted the roles of risk and protective factors from the individual, family, and societal levels. The extent to which these factors contribute to resilience in Chinese immigrants is unclear. Moreover, the social contagion theory addressing the “spread” of psychological characteristics across network ties provides a framework to examine the intergenerational transmission of resilience in mother–child dyads. The family systems theory also posits that major stressors affect the whole family, and interdependence builds within family members. The transmission of resilience from mothers to their children might be a possible mechanism by which resilience is promoted among children. At the same time, resilience in children may cultivate resilience in mothers to adapt well to challenges. In addition to investigating risk and protective factors for resilience in the immigration context, the present study will focus on the dyadic interdependence of resilience in the mother–child dyad by examining(a) to what extent resilience is transmitted in the dyad and (b) the extent to which depressive symptoms and other potential moderators alter resilience congruence between mothers and children.The proposed study will recruit an immigrant sample of 300 mother–child dyads(children aged 11–15 years) who migrated from Mainland China to Hong Kong and use a two-wave longitudinal design. The information gained from completing these research aims will contribute to the international literature by 1) shifting from the traditional deficit model in previous immigration studies focusing on immigrants’ maladaptation and psychological disorders to the strength-based model focusing on effective functioning and positive outcomes in the face of challenges; 2) providing information regarding the dynamic processes that contribute to longitudinal change in resilience (i.e., enhanced versus decreased resilience in response to a stressful life transition); 3) noting the limitations of previous, individual-based models focusing on children’s own qualities andacculturation factors, highlighting the role of mothers in the intergenerational transmission of resilience to children, and using the bidirectional approach to examine children’s role in promoting mothers’ resilience; and 4) further examining potential moderators to understand the mechanisms that moderate resilience transmission in the mother–child dyad.By using the actor–partner interdependence model in the immigrant mother–child dyad, the proposed study presents a novel perspective to examine resilience in a family-oriented culture. Ultimately, the findings will pave the way for developing culturally sensitive, resilience-enhancing intervention programs tailored for immigrant families.