Direct and Distress-Moderating Effects of Friendship Racial Composition on Asian American Youth Development

• In Event: A dynamic understanding of socialization for Asian American youth development

Abstract

Purpose: Friendship racial composition has been suggested as one of the most important determinants of minoritized youth development, particularly when racial discrimination is experienced. However, prior empirical studies on same-race and/or cross-race friendships show mixed developmental implications. These incongruent results may be in part due to the lack of longitudinal investigations that account for the variability of friendship network, ethnic subgroups, and other important social positions. This study with Filipino American (FA) and Korean American (KA) youth examines how changes in friendship racial composition and racial discrimination are associated with changes in school bonding and depressive symptoms over time. In addition, we explore how longitudinal negative effects of discrimination are moderated by differences in friendship racial composition and whether these moderating effects further vary by nativity (U.S.-born vs. foreign-born) within each ethnic subgroup.

Methods: Data are from the Midwest Longitudinal Study of Asian American Families project, a longitudinal survey of FA and KA youth and their parents living in the Chicago metropolitan area. This study uses three waves of youth data. The first wave was collected in 2014 from 378 FA and 408 KA youth (N=786). The retention rates were 77% at Wave 2 in 2016 and 82% of Wave 1 at Wave 3 in 2018. Stepwise mixed effects regression models first examined (1) the impact of racial discrimination and friendship racial composition (same-race, cross-race friendships mostly with White, and cross-racial friendships generally cross racial backgrounds) on school bonding and depressive symptoms, (2) two-way interaction effects (discrimination×friendship racial composition) and (3) three-way interaction effects (discrimination× friendship racial composition×nativity).

Results: Racial discrimination was associated with lower school bonding among FA group. Also, having cross-racial friendships was generally associated with better school bonding for both groups. Regarding depressive symptoms, for both groups discrimination predicted more depressive symptoms and that the negative effect of discrimination was moderated by friendship racial composition. Specifically, having same-race friendships (vs. cross-race friendships mostly with White) buffered the negative impact of discrimination on depressive symptoms among FA youth. For KA youth, the negative effect of discrimination on depressive symptoms was alleviated by having cross-race friendships generally cross racial backgrounds (vs. same-race) among foreign-born youth and by having same-race friendships (vs. cross-race friendships generally cross racial backgrounds) among U.S.-born youth.

Conclusions/Implications: The findings underscore the multi-dimensional nature of friendship racial composition and its influence. Cross-race friendships that may help youth develop social competence in multiracial society seems to increase school bonding, but same-race friendships that may provide strong emotional support alleviated the burden of discrimination on depressive symptoms. The study also demonstrates that U.S.-born KA (vs. foreign-born KA) youth benefited more from same-race friendships in reducing the psychological tolls of discrimination. These findings are particularly significant because KA youth have reported decreased school bonding and increased depressive symptoms over time and the negative effect of discrimination on depressive symptoms was stronger among U.S.-born than foreign-born KA youth. Interventions intended to minimize the negative impact of discrimination on youth development are unlikely to be successful without considering nuanced subgroup differences.

Authors

• Michael Park, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Presenting Author

• Xiang Zhou, Purdue University, West Lafayette

• Hye-Min Jung, University of Chicago

• Yoonsun Choi, University of Chicago

• Odis Johnson

• David Takeuchi