Research

Asian American Journal of Psychology, Vol 6 No 2, (June 2015) Feature Article: Perceived Discrimination, Intergenerational Family Conflicts, and Depressive Symptoms in Foreign-Born and U.S.-Born Asian American Emerging Adults by Hsiu-Lan Cheng (New Mexico State University), Shu-Ping Lin (Tamkang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan) & Chu Hui Cha (New Mexico State University)

Hsiu-Lan Cheng, first author of the AAJP June 2015 issue’s feature article

Do you think your perspective or experiences of being racially discriminated are different from those of your family members, particularly those from a different generation? Has such difference ever led to disagreement or conflicts? How do you think these types of experience, either of being discriminated or in conflicts with your family, affect your mental health? As the sociocultural and political conversations on racial discrimination rage on in America in 2015, one does not have to look far to discover the long and elaborate streams of literature detailing the negative psychological consequences of discrimination. Against this backdrop, Cheng, Lin, and Cha (2015) extend these streams in the current June 2015 issue of the Asian American Journal of Psychology. Cheng and colleagues broaden our knowledge on the mechanisms through which discrimination negatively impacts mental health among Asian American and immigrant college students. Recognizing the interrelated and dynamic nature of contextual factors at various levels, Dr. Cheng and her colleagues cleverly hypothesize family conflict as a mediation between discrimination and depressive symptoms.

Drawing from her five years of clinical experiences as a staff psychologist at a large university counseling center before transitioning to a research-oriented academic career and also from personal experience as a first-generation immigrant, Dr. Cheng understood very well how intergenerational conflicts represent a powerful and complex influence particularly in Asian American and immigrant families where these issues are further compounded by identity development as racial minorities. Different individuals and different generations approach racial identity development in distinctive ways and the resulting dissonance in this process potentially contributes to family conflicts. Racial discrimination then embodies a prime example of intergenerational disagreement, which, like experiences of discrimination, also predicts more depressive symptoms.

This article is a fascinating read if you are interested in how different levels of ecological factors can influence each other, in a mediational fashion in this instance, to ultimately influence mental health on the individual level. Other specific explorations in the study included investigating both father and mother and at both first and second generation Asian immigrant and Americans differentially. More generally, the article also succinctly yet thoroughly reviews some of the most recent literature on associations between perceived discrimination, family conflict, and depression. So help yourself stay informed on the latest findings on how race relates to family and mental health!

Feature written by Ming-Che Tu, Chair of AAPA’s Division of Students, for Asian American Psychological Association

The latest Table of Contents can be accessed here: http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=browsePA.volumes&jcode=aap

The Editorial Board of the Asian American Journal of Psychology (AAJP) is pleased to share the Table of Contents for the upcoming March issue of AAJP. AAJP is seeking to help fulfill AAPA’s mission to promote the dissemination of the latest scholarship on Asian American psychology. Please help in the effort by sharing this information with colleagues and students.

Special thanks to Founding Editor, Dr. Fred Leong, for his efforts in establishing AAJP as a high-impact resource in the field, and Congratulations to Dr. Bryan Kim for his first issue serving as AAJP Editor!

ASIAN AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
Table of Contents – March 2015

Editorial by the New Editor
Bryan S. K. Kim – University of Hawaii at Hilo

The Interplay Between Collectivism and Social Support Processes among Asian American and Latino College Students
Janet Chang – Trinity College

Differential Links Between Expressive Suppression and Well-Being among Chinese and Mexican American College Students
Jenny C Su – National Taiwan University
Richard M. Lee – Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
Irene J. K. Park – University of Notre Dame
Jose A Soto – The Pennsylvania State University
Janet Chang – Trinity College
Byron Zamboanga – Smith College
Kyoung Ok Seol – Ehwa Womans University
Jessie Dezutter – Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Eric Hurley – Pomona College
Lindsay Ham – University of Arkansas
Su Yeong Kim – University of Texas Austin
Elissa Brown – St. John’s University

An Exploration of How Asian Americans Respond on the Personality Assessment Inventory
Jenss Chang – Azusa Pacific University
Steve R. Smith – University of California, Santa Barbara

Ethnic Variations Between Asian and European Americans in Interpersonal Sources of Socially Prescribed Perfectionism: It’s Not Just About Parents!
Marisa J Perera – University of Michigan
Edward C. Chang – University of Michigan

Differences in Substance Use and Substance Use Risk Factors by Asian Subgroups
Regina A Shih – RAND Corporation
Joan S Tucker – RAND Corporation
Jeremy N.V. Miles – RAND Corporation
Brett Ewing – RAND Corporation
Eric Pedersen – RAND Corporation
Elizabeth J D’Amico – RAND Corporation

Cultural differences in social anxiety: A meta-analysis of Asian and European heritage samples
Sheila Woody – University of British Columbia
Sheena W.-H. Miao – University of Victoria
Kirstie Kellman-McFarlane – University of British Columbia

Development and Validation of a Racial Discrimination Measure for Cambodian American Adolescents
Cindy C. Sangalang – Arizona State University
Angela C.C. Chen – Arizona State University
Stephen Kulis – Arizona State University
Scott T Yabiku – Arizona State University

Ethnic Differences in Social Anxiety Between Individuals of Asian-Heritage and European-Heritage: A Meta-Analytic Review
Yiyuan Xu – University of Hawaii at Manoa
Alexander W. Krieg – University of Hawaii at Manoa

Life Transitions and Smoking among Asian Americans
Cara S Maffini – Indiana University Bloomington
Ellen Vaughan – Indiana University Bloomington
Joel Wong – Indiana University Bloomington

Meaning-Making Through Personal Storytelling: Narrative Research in the Asian American Context
Qi Wang – Cornell University
Jessie Bee Kim Koh – Cornell University
Qingfang Song – Cornell University

Health Literacy in an Underserved Immigrant Population: New Implications toward Achieving Health Equity
Hee Lee
Jeong-Kyun Choi – Winona State University
Mi Hwa Lee – University of Minnesota, Twin Cities