Chinese American parents’ racial socialization competency in preparing youth for racial discrimination during COVID-19

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

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased discrimination targeting Chinese-heritage communities, which has been associated with higher levels of mental health difficulties among Chinese American youth (Cheah et al., 2020). Such experiences can lead parents to engage in racial-ethnic socialization (RES) practices that promote an awareness of discrimination (AOD) to prepare and warn youth of potential racism they may experience amidst this pandemic (Woo et al., 2020). However, psychological adjustment outcomes related to AOD RES, particularly among Asian American youth, have been mixed (e.g., Juang et al., 2017), and more research on potential moderators that might explain this inconsistency is needed.

How parents’ AOD RES might impact adolescents’ psychological well-being can be influenced by parents’ racial socialization competency (RSC). When parents have more knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach their child about race relations and how to respond to racial discrimination, they may contextualize racial discrimination and address the systemic nature of racism, which may lead to less stress and anxiety in children (Anderson et al., 2021). To assess these conjectures, the present study examined AOD RES as a mediator between Chinese American parents’ racial discrimination experiences and their children’s psychological well-being (PWB). Further, we also explored the potential moderating role of parents’ RSC on the association between parental AOD RES and youth PWB to clarify the existing mixed findings regarding the link between AOD RES and adjustment (Umaña‐Taylor & Hill, 2020).

Participants included Chinese American parent-teen dyads (N=140) who completed online surveys between January–May 2021. Parents reported on their: (1) frequency of experiencing racial discrimination (AARDI; Yoo & Lee, 2005); (2) frequency of engaging in AOD RES practices (AAPRES; Juang et al., 2016); and (3) racial socialization competency. Youth (M=13.40 years, SD=2.70; 52.9% female) reported on their own psychological well-being (PWBS; Ryff, 1995; self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth).

Moderated mediation analyses revealed that parents’ discrimination experiences were positively related to their AOD RES messages, which in turn, was negatively associated with children’s PWB (Figure 1). The association between parents’ AOD RES and youth’s PWB was moderated by parental RSC. Simple slopes analyses demonstrated that the negative association between parent AOD RES and child PWB was only significant at low but not at mean or high levels of parent RSC (Figure 2).

Parents are more likely to engage in socialization messages that alert their adolescents to the potential discrimination and unfair treatment that they might receive following parents’ own experiences of race-related social rejection. These socialization messages may heighten adolescents’ fear and mistrust and adversely affect their positive psychological functioning. However, parents who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to discuss race and teach their children how to respond to racial discrimination can contextualize racism in ways that prevent adolescents from internalizing these warning messages. These parents can better support their adolescents’ navigation of and coping with the racialization of this pandemic, resulting in greater self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and life satisfaction (Aldawsari et al, 2018; Anderson et al., 2019).

Authors

• Ana Katrina Aquino, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Presenting Author

• Bumo Zhang, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Huiguang Ren, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Hyun Su Cho, University of Maryland - Baltimore County