The last two weeks working with Dr. Keng-Yen Huang on Asian American adolescent/ young adults’ mental health issues gave me a basic sense of the difficulties they faced during their growing up and the pressure they faced from their own culture and society. For research and intervention development, we plan to hold workshops focusing on the intervention of Asian American adolescents/ young adults’ mental health issues by talking about their growing up backgrounds, culture and accompanying them.
Through the brainstorming of the workshop, we are discussing what kind of intervention suits the group better. However, before doing the intervention workshops, we should have more understanding of the Asian American adolescents/ young adults and their journey of identification of themselves and their culture.
Several factors influence the stressors of racial development in Asian Americans, contributing positively to racial and ethnic identity. Through interviewing the young adult and literature reviews, environment-place and geographical context, family dynamics, and biculturalism are three main factors.
As for the environment-place and geographical context, the identity of whom they come from, and their hometown, the young adult usually have access to cultural knowledge, often from parents and home environment, compared to access to ethnic churches and language schools that helped reinforce a connection to culture and seeing race as a cultural construct. Also, their social environment plays an important role, including whom they hang out with and the group they have been with during their grown-up times. Change in context (e.g., a more diverse college) can lead to new experiences with race and racial identity. Examples of demographic changes include a sizeable Asian population and ethnic and generational diversity. It functions as a more open place for discussing race and racial identity, challenges previous understandings, and compels students to question their definition of Asian American. For example, racial socialization among peers; discussing stereotyping with dormmates instead of family members.
For family dynamics, intergenerational knowledge and sharing history (particularly trauma) significantly influence stressors development. Critical consciousness, defined as “a reflexive understanding of the world and recognition of the interconnectedness of individualism, social, and structural experience,” is necessary to heal from historical trauma and fight against systems of oppression—also close family relationships and a stronger sense of and regard for ethnic community. Asian American youth reported more pride in their racial-ethnic identity and social connectedness with parents who taught them about their heritage culture and treated everyone equally regardless of background. Protects from psychological stress for those who have experienced racial discrimination.
Last biculturalism; refers to immigrant youth involved with two cultures. Bicultural competencies are the flexibility in navigating across and identifying with both cultures. E.g., through cultural celebrations, speaking both languages. Youth who demonstrate cultural frame switching can switch between cultural orientations depending on the context, which makes it easier to identify with both cultures. Moreover, for decreased parent-child conflicts, take Korean American college students as an example, greater adherence to ethnic culture is associated with less intensity of family conflict.