Ethnic-Racial Socialization and Developmental Outcomes Among Asian American Youths: Examining the Mediating Role of Ethnic Identity

Purpose: Ethnic-racial socialization refers to the processes by which families transmit the significance and meaning of race and ethnicity to their children (Hughes et al., 2006). To date, most of the research on ethnic-racial socialization has been conducted with African American samples, and little is known about the process among Asian American families. Previous research suggested that ethnic-racial socialization is a multidimensional concept, including cultural socialization, promotion of mistrust, and preparation for bias (e.g., Hughes and Chen, 1997). These divergent processes may have distinct effect on youth developmental outcomes, working as either a risk or a protective factor. In previous studies, cultural socialization had positive effect on youth outcomes while the effects of preparation for bias and promotion of mistrust were mixed. Focusing on the multidimensional nature of ethnic-racial socialization, this study aimed to identify the effects of different dimensions of ethnic-racial socialization on youth outcomes and to understand the mechanisms underlying these associations among Asian American youth. This study examined 1) how the perceptions of ethnic-racial socialization among youths and parents affect youth depressive symptoms and GPA, and 2) whether youths’ ethnic identity mediates these relationships. Further, this study compared these relationships across Asian American subgroups. 

Methods: Data were from the Midwest Longitudinal Study of Asian American Families (ML-SAAF) Project (410 Korean American youth, 414 Korean American parents, 379 Filipino American youth, and 377 Filipino American parents). The study utilized youth-reported ethnic-racial socialization (i.e., cultural socialization, promotion of mistrust, preparation for bias), and parent-reported ethnic-racial socialization (promotion of mistrust, preparation for bias) as independent variables. Outcomes were youth depressive symptoms and GPA. Four control variables were accounted for in the model, including age of youth, gender of youth, parent report of family socioeconomic status, and nativity of youth. Using Structural Equation Modeling, we tested the hypothesized associations separately for Korean American and Filipino American subgroups.

Results: The results showed that youth-reported promotion of mistrust and preparation for bias were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Promotion of mistrust was negatively associated with GPA among Korean American youth only. Our mediation test indicated a significant indirect effect between youth-reported cultural socialization and depressive symptoms via ethnic identity among Korean American youth. Specifically, youth’s ethnic identity mediated the relationship between youth-reported cultural socialization and depressive symptoms. However, this was not the case among Filipino American youth. Further, no significant associations were found between parent-reported ethnic-racial socialization and youth outcomes among two groups.

Conclusion: The findings provide insights into the pathways though which ethnic-racial socialization leads to youth developmental outcomes. Additionally, this is one of the few studies to consider the multidimensionality of ethnic-racial socialization among Asian American youth. Cultural socialization emphasizing ethnic pride and tradition was beneficial to youths’ mental health while transmitting the awareness of ethnic prejudice or warnings on other ethnic/racial groups was harmful. This study enhances our understanding of the ways in which parents deliver ethnic-racial socialization to their child. The study also contributes to the development of parent training or interventions applicable to Asian American families.