A conceptual model for studying parenting behaviors in immigrant populations

Transition is a concept common to migration and parenthood. Immigrants leave their homeland, experience the chaos of moving, then begin life in a new country. A new parent relinquishes an identity, waits for the birth of an infant, then develops an altered identity with reconfigured relationships. Belsky's theoretical framework is modified to illustrate the determinants of parenting in immigrants who make the transition to parenthood and cultural transition simultaneously. The primary focus is on the contextual determinants of premigration, postmigration, ethnicity, and the sociopolitical environment. Possible directions for nursing practice and research are proposed.