Racial Discrimination and Interpersonal Violence in Asian American Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

Racial discrimination targeting Asians in the United States has increased sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a well-established link with mental/physical health outcomes, little is known about how racial discrimination relates to interpersonal violence, particularly in adolescents. To address this gap in knowledge, we examined cross-sectional and longitudinal (1-year follow-up) associations between racial discrimination and interpersonal violence perpetration and victimization in Asian American adolescents in a large US city.

METHODS

Data from Waves 3 (2020) and 4 (2021) of a randomized clinical trial of a school-based violence prevention program were examined. We limited our sample to participants who identified as Asian American (n = 344; 48.3% female; Meanage = 14.6 years at Wave 3).

RESULTS

At Wave 3, 26.5% of the adolescents reported experiencing some form of racial discrimination, including 18.3% experiencing verbal harassment due to race and 16.0% reporting inequitable treatment due to race. Relative to their nonvictimized counterparts, adolescents who experienced racial discrimination were more likely to report being a victim of bullying and teen dating violence cross-sectionally and being a bullying victim longitudinally. Moreover, those who experienced racial discrimination reported more bullying and teen dating violence perpetration concurrently, as well as more dating violence perpetration 1 year later.

DISCUSSION

In the understudied population of Asian American adolescents, we found that experiencing racial discrimination contributes to both interpersonal violence victimization and perpetration. Youth violence prevention could include strategies addressing racial discrimination.

Trajectories of discrimination among Chinese American youth: Variation, predictors, and outcomes

Using 3 waves of longitudinal data from 444 Chinese American adolescents (Mage  = 13.04 at Wave 1, 54% identified as women), the current study explored if there was variation in discrimination trajectories from early to late adolescence and whether contextual and individual factors predicted trajectories as well as if trajectories were associated with academic achievement and mental health. Three distinct discrimination trajectories were identified: low-increasing, moderate-stable, and high-decreasing. The results also revealed that neighborhood Chinese concentration and adolescents' acculturation predicted discrimination trajectories. Different trajectories were also associated with depressive symptoms; adolescents in the high-decreasing trajectory reported higher levels of depressive symptoms in late adolescence than in the other two trajectories. The findings highlight the heterogeneity in Chinese American adolescents' discrimination experience.

Profiles of Ethnic-Racial Identity, Socialization, and Model Minority Experiences: Associations with Well-Being Among Asian American Adolescents

Ethnic-racial identity, ethnic-racial socialization, and racialized experiences are fundamental to the development of youth of color. However, most prior studies have examined their developmental impact in isolation. The present study fills this gap using a person-centered approach to elucidate patterns of ethnic-racial identity, socialization, and model minority experiences among 145 Asian American adolescents (M_age = 14.3, SD = 0.59; 65% female). Three distinct profiles were identified. Overall, adolescents with stronger ethnic-racial identity and more cultural socialization but less preparation for bias (Salient, 13%) demonstrated better psychosocial and academic outcomes. Adolescents with moderate levels on the six indicators of ethnic-racial identity, socialization, and model minority experiences (Moderate, 72%) reported better sleep quality and less delinquency. Adolescents with low levels of ethnic-racial identity and cultural socialization but greater preparation for bias (Marginal, 15%) had the least adaptative outcomes across all domains. The findings observed the heterogeneity of ethnic-racial experiences within the Asian American group and highlighted the importance of examining the combined influences of ethnic-racial identity, socialization, and model minority experiences on health and well-being among Asian American adolescents from a multidimensional perspective.

How Do Acculturation, Maternal Connectedness, and Mother-Daughter Sexual Communication Affect Asian American Daughters' Sexual Initiation?

Purpose: There was a growth of approximately ten million Asian American individuals in the United States between 2000 and 2015. Asian Americans have conservative values surrounding sexual health and sexual communication is a cultural taboo. Researchers have shown discrepancies on whether the level of acculturation influences Asian mother-daughter sexual communication. In other minority populations there is evidence that a connected mother-daughter relationship increases sexual communication and delays sexual initiation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether mother-daughter connectedness and level of acculturation predict sexual communication in turn affecting the age of female Asian emerging adult's sexual initiation. Methods: This was a longitudinal, secondary analysis of AddHealth examining whether mother-daughter connectedness and level of acculturation predict sexual communication. There were 243 Asian American mother-daughter dyads in Wave I with linked data in Wave III who were included in the study. Acculturation, connectedness, and sexual communication were all measured using interval level data. Results: Connectedness did not significantly contribute to the relationship between any of the concepts. Although it was predicted that sexual communication would delay initiation, the opposite was found. Also, communication mediated the relationship between acculturation and initiation. Conclusions: Further studies are needed to explore how connectedness is defined by Asian American mother-daughter dyads. In addition, more detailed operational definitions of acculturation and communication are needed, specifically the timing of sexual communication.

Daily academic satisfaction and ethnic/racial identity of Asian American adolescents: The role of objective and subjective peer diversity at school

The purpose of the current study was to examine the association between daily academic satisfaction and ethnic/racial identity of Asian American adolescents. Based on ecological systems theory and social comparison theory the moderating roles of objective and subjective peer diversity at school in this association were also examined. Daily diary and survey responses of 102 Asian American adolescents were included in this study (Age: M=15.26, SD=0.71; Female=70.60%; US-born=74.50%). Using hierarchical linear modeling, no direct association between daily academic satisfaction and ethnic/racial identity was observed in the full sample. However, when objective and subjective peer diversity at school were considered a positive association was observed among the adolescents who perceived a high percentage of Asian American peers at school. The interpretation and implications for the results are discussed.

Language Brokering and Adjustment among Chinese and Korean American Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Perceived Maternal Sacrifice, Respect for the Mother, and Mother-Child Open Communication

Asian American adolescents often language broker for their immigrant parents. Using a two-wave sample of Chinese American (n = 237; average age at W1 = 14.65, SD = .68) and Korean American (n = 262; average age at W1 = 14.72, SD = .69) adolescents, this study examined a culturally relevant conditional mechanism through which language brokering may contribute to lower levels of internalizing/externalizing problems. Results suggested that language brokering for the mother was associated with perceived maternal sacrifice, which was in turn associated with respect for the mother, which was eventually associated with lower levels of externalizing problems (but not internalizing problems) in the adolescents. Moreover, the indirect effect was conditional on the level of mother-child open communication. With a lower level of open communication, the indirect effect of language brokering on externalizing problems became stronger. Results indicate that interventions designed to reduce Asian American adolescent language brokers' externalizing problems may be effective if they target adolescents' perception of parental sacrifice and respect for parents, especially for those adolescents experiencing a low level of parent-child open communication. At the same time, increasing open communication within the family may also ultimately reduce adolescent externalizing problems.