Building Resilience, Empowerment, and Community: Post-Trial Analysis of a Culturally-Informed Mental Health Intervention for Asian American Women

Background and Purpose: Young Asian-American (AA) women have high suicide and depression rates; however, few interventions address the urgent need for culturally-competent care in this area.  Evidence in AA literature suggests that identifying as a victim of interpersonal violence is strongly associated with depression, making this comorbidity an important topic of study.  Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) aims to be the first gender- and culturally- specific intervention designed to target depressive symptomology as it intersects with interpersonal and family trauma.

Method: This study recruited Chinese-, Korean-, and Vietnamese-American women with histories of interpersonal trauma for an 8-week culturally-informed group psychotherapy intervention. Of the 435 screened women, 63 met eligibility and were randomized into the intervention (n = 32) or wait-list control (n = 31) groups at an academic research center.  Researchers then thematically analyze post-intervention feedback data to explore the efficacy of the AWARE intervention and highlight key themes regarding mental health and well-being.

Results: Thematic analysis using NVivo software revealed several significant themes as a result of the culturally-specific AWARE intervention model. Using a family systems framework, AWARE facilitated cognitive framing and emotional processing for the young Asian-American women in the group. Mediating variables included (1) coping skill facilitation, (2) validation of cultural norms through frequent cultural discussions, and (3) a supportive group environment. Reported therapeutic outcomes included increased a) awareness of maladaptive patterns, b) emotional well-being, c) self-compassion, d) community and relational building, and e) sense of empowered identity.

Conclusions and Implications: The results show that the culturally-informed AWARE intervention has helped improve not only women’s well-being on an individual level, but it also had an impact on their interpersonal relationships and the ability to build community through activism, expanding the women’s social support network, and seeing their potential as a change agent for the AA community.