Evaluating the Cultural Fit of the New Beginnings Parent Program for Divorced Asian American Mothers: A Pilot Study

As the first phrase of a research program aimed at adapting and delivering the New Beginnings Parent Program for divorced Asian American families, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the cultural fit of the New Beginnings Parent Program (NBP) with the target group. NBP is a manualized, parentfocused, psychoeducational program that has demonstrated robust evidence of preventing and reducing mental health and substance use problems among children from divorced, predominantly European American families. Literature reviews of basic research on parental divorce in Asian American families and parenting in Asian cultures suggested that NBP has the potential of benefiting divorced Asian American families. However, research on differences in needs and values of European Americans and Asian Americans suggested that some tailoring of the program might be important for the program to be good fit for Asian American families. To evaluate the NBP’s fit with the values and needs of divorced Asian American families and its potential for engaging this population, as well as to identify aspects of NBP requiring a cultural adaptation, the authors conducted a pilot study with 10 recently divorced or separated Asian American mothers. The mothers received the 10-week NBP intervention as it was originally designed. Quantitative and qualitative data suggested that the overall themes and core components of the NBP were acceptable to divorced Asian American parents, and the program successfully engaged this group. The pilot study also identified several areas in which NBP can be modified to better engage Asian American parents and address the culturally salient needs of this population.