Ethnic/Racial Socialization and Child Functioning in Asian American Families amidst COVID-19, the so-called “China” Virus

• In Event: Ethnic/Racial Socialization, Activism, and Adjustment in Asian American Families Navigating COVID-19 and Racism Pandemics

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the daily realities and psychological functioning of people around the world. Asian Americans—who are expected to become the largest ethnic group in the US by 2055—have been disproportionately impacted by targeted racial discrimination and xenophobia. Because COVID-19 first emerged in China, some White Americans are blaming Asians for the spread of the coronavirus, which is exacerbated by President Trump’s public comments and calling the coronavirus the “china virus” or the “kung flu” (Chiu, 2020; Ensor, 2020). The documented increase in hate crimes towards Asian Americans have included verbal harassment, physical assaults, and targeted exclusion to those who are Chinese or Chinese-appearing, and 6.3% of these documented hate crimes between March 19 and April 3 have involved children. This study identifies if and how Asian American parents talk to their children about race and racism before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these conversations are associated with children’s psychological functioning. This study also examines Asian American parents’ biggest concerns about their children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parents (N = 404) of children aged 10-17 years were recruited through Facebook groups in the Ohioan Asian American community. Participants responded to an online survey about concerns for their children regarding COVID-19, and their ethnic racial socialization (ERS) practices before (e.g., retrospective reports) and during the pandemic. Parents also reported children’s symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Within subjects t-tests indicate that parental ERS declined during the COVID-19 pandemic (M = 3.04, SD = .53) compared to before the pandemic (M = 3.20, SD = .53), t(1, 400) = 4.879, p < .001. Multiple regressions controlling for child age indicate that ERS prior to the pandemic was associated with lower reports of children’s depression (b = -1.35, SE = .44, p = .002) and anxiety (b = -0.71, SE = .28, p = .01); however, ERS during the pandemic is associated with higher reports of depression (b = 3.51, SE = .43) and anxiety (b = 2.57, SE = .23, p < .001).

Fifty-three percent of parents (n = 215) responded to the open-ended question about their biggest concerns about their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary analyses indicate that the most common concerns—which are not mutually exclusive—centered around children’s health and safety (48%), education and learning (45%), socioemotional/behavioral problems (11%), and discrimination (4%).

Results indicate that parents are engaging in less ERS during the pandemic. Further, the finding that ERS was negatively associated with children’s depression and anxiety before the pandemic, but is positively associated with children’s depression and anxiety after the pandemic, suggests that the type of ERS messages may be different. Additional analyses will examine what specific areas of ERS changed to elucidate whether ERS during the pandemic focuses more on racial discrimination, xenophobia, and preparation for bias.

Authors

• Virginia W Huynh, California State University - Northridge
  Presenting Author

• Vaishali V Raval, Miami University - Ohio
  Non-Presenting Author