Depressive Symptoms Among Vietnamese and Cambodian Youth: The Effect of Discrimination Experiences

Background & Purpose: A sizeable body of literature asserts that experiences with discrimination can increase the likelihood of adverse psychosocial and behavioral outcomes, including depression, substance use, and risky behaviors (Tobler et al., 2012). However, the vast majority of these studies are cross-sectional and limited in establishing the directionality between discrimination and psychological outcomes. Despite greater attention to the role of discrimination in Asian American adolescents’ lives, limited studies have examined groups from emerging immigrant groups within this population, including Southeast Asian youth. The purpose of this study is to examine the consequences of discrimination on depressive symptoms for Vietnamese and Cambodian youth. The following research aims guide this study: (1) To examine the relationship between discrimination and depressive symptoms across time, and (2) To explore group invariance in these relationships by ethnicity, gender, and nativity.

Methods: Data were collected for the Cross Cultural Families Project, a longitudinal study of Vietnamese and Cambodian youth and their mothers in a Pacific Northwestern city. Participants were randomly drawn from a sample of families with children enrolled in an urban school district (85% consent rate). The current analysis uses Waves 1 and 2 of the child data, which represents an interval of one year. Approximately 51% of the sample was female and 38% was born outside the U.S.; the average age at Wave 2 was 13 years (SD=1.11). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Child Depression Index, which measures the level of depressed affect and cognitive difficulties over the last two weeks (Angold et al., 1995; Cronbach’s alpha=.90 and .92 at Wave 1 and 2, respectively). Discrimination was measured by two items, which assessed the frequency of ethnicity-based unfair treatment from people in one’s neighborhood and school (Pearson’s r=.67 at both Wave 1 and 2). Structural equation modelling tested relationships within the model. Autoregressive cross-lagged techniques were used to examine reciprocal relationships between discrimination and depressive symptoms at both points in time, controlling for gender on depressive symptoms at Wave 2. The model remained stable after tests of group invariance by ethnicity, gender, and nativity.

Results: Results indicated the model provided a reasonable fit with the data (CFI=.913; RMSEA=.053). Wave 2 discrimination was significantly related to increased depressive symptoms in Wave 2 (β=.33, p<.001) even after accounting for the effect of prior depressive symptoms (β=.47, p<.001). Depressive symptoms at Wave 1 were not significantly related to discrimination at Wave 2.

Implications: The current study strengthens existing evidence regarding the effect of discrimination on the psychological adjustment of young people, particularly Vietnamese and Cambodia youth. The findings suggest that discrimination predicts poorer mental health, rather than the converse. Social work interventions and prevention efforts in both school and community contexts may enhance awareness of discrimination based on minority status as well as encourage resilience to mitigate discrimination’s effects on young people’s well-being.