Low-Income Asians Living in the US: Scoping Review on Difficulties and Factors

Background and Purpose

Asian Americans are less studied and less served because they are often misunderstood as a problem-free minority group that makes rigorous upward mobilities. In fact, Asian Americans have a gigantic within-group difference, and low-income and poor Asian Americans experience various difficulties derived from poverty and their positionality as a racial minority. However, no study so far synthesized research findings on low-income Asian Americans focusing on the challenges and practice implications they experience. This study reviewed the literature on financially vulnerable Asians to explore their difficulties and its factors to challenge model minority myth toward Asians in the U.S.

Methods

We systematically searched, selected, and synthesized peer-reviewed literature based on rigorous and recommended methods of scoping review and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The articles were collected from 19 databases in Social Work and other disciplines between July 10th and 13th in 2020. The search terms included Asian Americans, difficulties, and low-income, which initially resulted in 3,645 articles and 2,121 after removing duplicates. After screening titles and abstracts and reviewing 243 full-texts, we selected 61 peer-reviewed empirical studies focusing on the challenges of Asians aged 7-35. The chart of the final data included the sample characteristics (region, age, race/ethnicity), methods (methodology, low-income description), and results (difficulties, factors).

Findings

A total of 61 studies were conducted in CA (17), NY (7), and nationwide (8), and 11 other states (33). The most studied ethnic groups were Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Cambodian, and Hmong, among more than 20 groups in the reviewed studies. The low-income criteria included eligibility for a public assistance program, attending schools or community-based organizations in poor neighborhoods, annual income under certain points, etc.

Of 61 reviewed studies, 23 focused on social issues and 38 on health issues. In the social issues, five domains of difficulties emerged, including academic achievement and school adjustment (7), stereotyping and acculturation (5), labor market disparities and poor job conditions (4), neighborhood environment (4), and lack of economic resources (3). Low English proficiency, minority status, and poverty were found to be common factors. Low parental involvement and sudden immigration were attributed to the first domain. Unfamiliarity with the American legal system and labor market was related to poor working conditions. Large numbers of adults in the household led to economic resources.

The health issues have five domains: low accessibility to healthcare service (4), low Medicaid enrollment (4), high risks to certain diseases (10), low preventive behavior related to health habits and preventive examinations (10), low medical treatment continuity after diagnosed (7). Three studies are related to more than one category. The factors for health difficulties include lack of information/knowledge, health insurance, and poor working/living environments, in addition to low English proficiency, minority status, and poverty.

Conclusion and Implications

This scoping review shows that the scholarly understanding of low-income and poor Asians' difficulties is very fragmented in several ways, such as studies' geographical location and life-course specific issues. It implies more studies need to explore less populated regions with Asians and life-course-specific difficulties.