Linda P. Juang

The Role of Coping in the Relationship between Perceived Racism and Racism-Related Stress for Asian Americans: Gender Differences.

On the basis of stress and coping theory, the authors examined coping as a mediator of the relationship between perceptions of racism and racism-related stress with a sample of Asian American college students (N 336). Results indicated that coping mediated the relationship between racism and racism-related stress differentially by gender. The more that men perceived racism, the more likely they were to use support-seeking coping strategies that were associated with higher levels of racism-related stress. The more that women perceived racism, the more they used active coping strategies that were associated with higher levels of racism-related stress. The findings demonstrate how coping with racism differs for Asian Americans on the basis of gender.

Discrimination and Adjustment Among Chinese American Adolescents: Family Conflict and Family Cohesion as Vulnerability and Protective Factors

OBJECTIVES We examined racial/ethnic discrimination experiences of Chinese American adolescents to determine how discrimination is linked to poor adjustment (i.e., loneliness, anxiety, and somatization) and how the context of the family can buffer or exacerbate these links. METHODS We collected survey data from 181 Chinese American adolescents and their parents in Northern California. We conducted hierarchical regression analyses to examine main effects and 2-way interactions of perceived discrimination with family conflict and family cohesion. RESULTS Discrimination was related to poorer adjustment in terms of loneliness, anxiety, and somatization, but family conflict and cohesion modified these relations. Greater family conflict exacerbated the negative effects of discrimination, and greater family cohesion buffered the negative effects of discrimination. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the importance of identifying family-level moderators to help adolescents and their families handle experiences of discrimination.

The Ethnic Identity, Other-Group Attitudes, and Psychosocial Functioning of Asian American Emerging Adults From Two Contexts

Drawing from two samples of Asian American emerging adults, one in an ethnicallyconcentrated context (n = 108) and the other in an ethnically-dispersed, mainly White context (n = 153), we examined (a) how ethnic identity and other-group attitudes were related to psychosocial functioning (i.e., depression, self-esteem, and connectedness to parents) and (b) how these relations were moderated by context. Results (direct effects) indicated that ethnic identity predicted more positive functioning in terms of self-esteem and connectedness to parents, whereas other-group attitudes predicted more positive functioning in terms of self-esteem and depression. Furthermore, moderated effects indicated that the links with other-group attitudes did not vary with context but that the links with ethnic identity did. Ethnic identity was linked to more positive functioning in terms of depression and connectedness to parents only for those in the ethnically-concentrated context. These findings demonstrate how different types of functioning are differentially influenced by ethnic identity and other-group attitudes and by the contexts in which these identities and attitudes are embedded.

Family cultural socialization practices and ethnic identity in college-going emerging adults

We examined how family cultural socialization related to the ethnic identity of Asian American, Latino, White, and Mixed-Ethnic emerging adults (N=225). Greater family cultural socialization was related to greater ethnic identity exploration and commitment. Ethnic minority students reported higher levels of family cultural socialization and ethnic identity compared to White students. The family cultural socialization-ethnic identity link was more pronounced for females compared to males, and for White compared to ethnic minority students. The findings highlight the importance of the family for identity development beyond adolescence.

Acculturation-based and everyday family conflict in Chinese American families

Everyday conflict (studied primarily among European American families) is viewed as an assertion of autonomy from parents that is normative during adolescence. Acculturation-based conflict (studied primarily among Asian- and Latino-heritage families) is viewed as a threat to relatedness with parents rather than the normative assertion of autonomy. Our overarching goal for the chapter is to integrate our knowledge of these two types of family conflict that have been studied separately to arrive at a new understanding of what family conflict means for Chinese American adolescents and their parents.

Moderating Effects of Adolescents’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs on Psychological Responses to Social Change:

This study investigated whether self-efficacy beliefs measured before the onset of social change would moderate effects of social change on adolescents’ life satisfaction, optimism regarding their future, and educational success. Self-efficacy beliefs of 593 German adolescents were measured between 1985 and 1988 before German unification. In 1992, perceived social change due to unification and outcome variables was assessed. Higher levels of perceived negative social change and lower levels of prior self-efficacy predicted lower levels of life satisfaction and less optimism regarding one’s future after German unification in 1992. In addition, we found that higher self-efficacy buffers negative effects of unification-based change on both psychological outcome variables. However, no interaction effect between perceived social change and self-efficacy was found on the probability of attending the highest school track in 1992.

Acculturation-based and everyday parent-adolescent conflict among Chinese American adolescents: longitudinal trajectories and implications for mental health.

The purpose of the study was to examine 2 types of conflict for Chinese American families that have not been integrated in previous literature: everyday conflict and acculturation-based conflict. We explored the relation between the 2 types of conflict over time and their associations with adolescent adjustment (i.e., anxiety/somatization, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem). The sample consisted of 316 Chinese American adolescents (M = 14.8 years, SD = .73 at Wave 1) who participated in a 3-wave longitudinal study. The results showed that everyday and acculturation-based conflict are related and change in parallel over time. However, the 2 types of conflict are unique predictors of the 4 different indicators of psychological functioning. Results also suggested that psychological functioning is a better predictor of trajectories of conflict than vice versa. Taken together, the results highlight the importance of considering how the acculturation process contributes to parent-adolescent conflict regarding everyday issues and deeper cultural values.

Misconduct Among Chinese American Adolescents: The Role of Acculturation, Family Obligation, and Autonomy Expectations

This study examined the relation between acculturation and misconduct among Chinese American adolescents. The sample included 309 adolescents (mean age = 14.7 years, SD = 0.71; 54% female), recruited from two high schools in an ethnically diverse, urban city on the West Coast. Findings showed that acculturation (i.e., generational status and U.S. and Chinese cultural involvements) did not predict misconduct. But specific cultural values (i.e., family obligation and autonomy expectations) did. Specifically, youth with stronger family obligation and later autonomy expectations engaged in less misconduct. Such findings suggest that examining specific and developmentally-salient cultural values may be especially helpful in explaining why some Chinese Americans engage in misconduct.

Ethnic Identity Among Chinese-American Youth: The Role of Family Obligation and Community Factors on Ethnic Engagement, Clarity, and Pride

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, using the 14-item Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, we established the appropriate factor structure of ethnic identity for a sample of Chinese-American youth. Second, we examined how family obligation and community factors (i.e., ethnic density, cultural resources, and perceived discrimination) related to the various factors of ethnic identity. The sample included 127 Chinese-American college students, recruited from an ethnically diverse university in Northern California. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a three-factor solution of ethnic engagement, clarity, and pride best described our sample. Further, we found that family obligation related positively to ethnic engagement and pride, that ethnic density related positively to ethnic pride, and that cultural resources related positively to ethnic engagement and clarity. Finally, we found that perceived discrimination related positively to ethnic engagement but negatively to ethnic pride. Thus, focusing on components of ethnic identity separately is valuable as it reveals how factors (such as discrimination) can, for instance, both promote and hinder a strong ethnic identity.

Changes in Psychological Distress among East German Adolescents Facing German Unification: The Role of Commitment to the Old System and of Self-Efficacy Beliefs.

Abrupt social change, such as the breakdown of a political system of the former communist states, presents a major adaptive challenge to the individual. The authors analyzed whether commitment to the old political system and high self-efficacy beliefs measured before German unification would predict change in psychological distress in East German adolescents in the first 2 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Adolescents who were highly committed to the old East German political system showed a stronger increase in distress after unification, however only if they had low preunification self-efficacy beliefs. In adolescents with average and high levels of preunification self-efficacy, previous identification with the East German system was not related to change in psychological distress. In addition, higher self-efficacy predicted a decrease in psychological distress over time.