Experiences of Discrimination, Impact of Bicultural Identity Integration and Mental Distress Among Indian American Youth: A Mixed Methods Study

Background and Purpose

Indian Americans now constitute the largest immigrant group in the U.S., having doubled from two million in 2000 to four million in 2019, yet little is known about the impacts of their nuanced experiences of discrimination, bicultural identity integration, and mental health. The present study explores the relationship between experiences of discrimination and anxiety and whether this relation is moderated by bicultural identity integration. We aim to address this research gap to understand this growing population and provide better information to address their needs.

Methods

Our sample included Indian American youth (12-17 years of age) residing in the U.S. whose parents were born in India. This study used a convergent mixed methods design. It involved collecting quantitative data (N=223) about discrimination, bicultural identity integration, and anxiety and qualitative interview data (N=10) about experiences of discrimination and bicultural experiences of living in two cultures with divergent expectations and values.

Participants answered questions about discrimination using the Perceived Discrimination Scale. The Bicultural Identity Integration Survey was adapted to the population to capture whether participants felt conflicted navigating two cultures. Anxiety symptoms were measured using Beck Anxiety Inventory.

We conducted a linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between experiences of discrimination and anxiety and whether bicultural identity integration moderated this relationship. Primary regression models included adjustments for age, race, birth country, geographic location, and perceived socioeconomic status. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted to explore how Indian American youth make meaning of their personal and social world.

Results

In fully adjusted models, perceived discrimination was significantly associated with anxiety (b=0.21, p<0.001). Bicultural identity integration interaction on perceived discrimination and anxiety were marginally significant (b=0.01, p=0.054). In the qualitative interviews, the youth described three main themes related to their nuanced experiences of discrimination and its impact on their mental health. The first theme focused on cultural frame switching, where youth shared the impacts of concealing their differing identities. The second theme focused on the stress of navigating a bicultural identity. The last theme is focused on how the youth describe their experiences of discrimination, not explicitly labeling it as racism. The mixed-methods findings are meta-inferences derived from examining findings across quantitative and qualitative data on discrimination, bicultural identity integration experiences and mental health distress.

Conclusions and Implications

The quantitative results showed that perceived discrimination impacted the participants significantly. This aligns with the qualitative findings that participants experienced discrimination from peers, teachers, and guidance counselors. The survey and interview data showed the complexity of the relationships between discrimination, bicultural identity integration, and mental health distress. Although only marginally significant in the quantitative findings, the qualitative findings underscore the need to consider the impact of immigration-related factors, such as bicultural identity, on the positive and negative experiences of Indian American youth. Findings from this study can help providers support this population by using culturally tailored approaches in mitigating mental health distress.