The goal of this article is to provide couple therapists and relationship educators with information to enhance the cultural relevance of their work with Asian populations. Because of the rapid social, economic, cultural, and gender role changes, the various Asian interpretations of the institution of marriage are undergoing major transformation. This article describes the general trends in marriage in several Asian nations, with a focus on the swiftly rising divorce rates and changing cultural attitudes to marriage, and discusses current relationship education initiatives in these nations. Finally, based on my experiences working with Asian populations, I present a few humble insights regarding adaptation of marriage education to render it more culturally appropriate for Asians.
Refugee families experience uncertainty and stress when residing in countries of first asylum, such as Malaysia, and may benefit from supportive parenting interventions. In the greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia area we piloted an eight-week parenting program with 79 Rohingya and Afghan mothers in nine separate groups. Participants were randomized to an intervention group or a waitlist control group and those in each arm completed a 3-month follow-up assessment. Program content addressed positive discipline, strengthening family relationships, adapting to a new environment, and improving health and emotional well-being. Measures assessed included child intensity and parenting self-efficacy from the Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale; positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, and poor supervision from the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Short Form; family intimacy and family conflict from the Family Functioning Scale, and emotional well-being from the Refugee Health Screening-15. Participating in the intervention led to beneficial changes in child intensity, parenting self-efficacy, family intimacy, family conflict, and emotional distress for the treatment group, and all changes except for emotional distress were maintained over time. However, the intervention did not lead to changes in positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, or poor supervision in the treatment group. Findings point to the potential benefits of parenting programs for refugee communities in transitory settings and contribute to the limited body of literature examining such programs.