"One man, one life, one marriage": A qualitative analysis of Hmong women's divorce experiences.

Despite the rising divorce rates in some immigrant communities in the US, there has been scant scholarly attention on how immigrants experience divorce, particularly on the role of culture in the divorce process. The primary goal of the present study was to explore the diverse divorce experiences of Hmong immigrants in the United States. As a patrilineal and patriarchal community, divorce is generally frowned upon, with Hmong women often experiencing shame and stigma. A narrative design with nine Hmong women was used to capture their intricate stories that highlight such experiences. Using a thematic analysis, our findings highlighted the complexity and cultural nuances the women in our sample encountered from initiating divorce to the divorce itself: (1) No wants a divorce, (2) Divorce is the "last straw", (3) Varying divorce pathways, and (4) Navigating systems as a Hmong woman. For those who have increased knowledge of both the US American court system and divorce laws along with the traditional Hmong mediations, they may be more equipped in navigating systems. Yet as Hmong divorce practices are performed by Hmong men, Hmong women may struggle with finding their voice or support needed to advocate for their divorce. In such cases, the US court system may be more appealing in assisting their cause (e.g., custody). Professionals working with such communities should be culturally aware and attuned to the different marriage and divorce practices to understand both cultural and legal barriers for those seeking a divorce.

Differences in nonshared individual, school, and family variables between delinquent and nondelinquent Hmong adolescents.

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether there were differences between Hmong immigrant siblings on multiple nonshared individual, school, and family variables. Participants were 58 sibling pairs (29 delinquent pairs and 29 nondelinquent pairs), who ranged in age from 13 to 21 years. There were 11 pairs of boys, 3 pairs of girls, and 15 pairs of opposite-sex siblings. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated that delinquent and nondelinquent sibling groups were significantly different in participation in organized activities, antisocial attitudes, delinquent behaviors, school truancy, school performance, and parents' labeling. The findings have implications for future research on sibling delinquency in Hmong immigrant families and for program development and delivery.

Southeast Asian immigrants' perceptions of good adolescents and good parents.

The authors examined the extent to which Southeast Asian immigrant parents and adolescents agree on what it means to be a "good" parent and a "good" adolescent. Thirty-six parents and 37 adolescents of Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, and Vietnamese descent participated in a series of focus groups. Content analyses of their discussions showed that good adolescents were obedient, helpful around the house, and respectful to parents and elders, and good parents were those who provide for, nurture, and monitor children's activities. The findings suggest that ideas about good parents and good adolescents are influenced by both the parents' traditions and by adolescents' acculturation to American values.

Cultural feeding practices and child-raising philosophy contribute to iron-deficiency anemia in refugee Hmong children.

OBJECTIVE: Iron-deficiency anemia is high in refugee Hmong toddlers attending Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) sites in St. Paul, Minnesota. We investigated social and cultural reasons for feeding practices of Hmong parents that result in excessive milk and inadequate food intake among infants and toddlers contributing to iron-deficiency anemia. DESIGN: In-depth interviews with community members. Focus-group interviews with caregivers. Discussions of results with a professional healthcare group. SETTING: St. Paul, Minnesota in 1997-1998. PARTICIPANTS: Eight Hmong and 7 non-Hmong community members. Thirty-two Hmong parents in focus groups. Thirteen Hmong and 11 non-Hmong healthcare professionals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Qualitative analysis identified themes from community and focus-group interviews. Professional group discussed meaning of results. RESULTS: To successfully adjust to American lifestyle demands, Hmong refugee families bottle-feed, rather than breast-feed, their infants. In the traditional demand pattern, bottle-feeding can cause infants to be given too much milk at the expense of solid food, and can teach them to prefer milk to food. As these infants become toddlers, caregivers have difficulty weaning them due to a child-raising philosophy of "hlu" that caters to children's desires. CONCLUSION: Hmong caregivers' child-raising philosophy of "hlu" coupled with feeding practices chosen to adjust to American society contribute to the high rate of iron-deficiency anemia in Hmong toddlers.