Abstract: Colonial Mentality on Psychological Distress, Social Isolation, and Sleep in Filipinx Americans (Society for Social Work and Research 28th Annual Conference - Recentering & Democratizing Knowledge: The Next 30 Years of Social Work Science)

Schedule:

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Liberty Ballroom N, ML 4 (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Dale Maglalang, PhD, MA, MSW, MPH, Assistant Professor, New York University, New York, NY

Joanna La Torre, MSW, LCSW, Doctoral Student, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Gabrielle Aquino-Adriatico, MSW, Doctoral Student, University of Houston, Houston, TX

Ronna Bañada, MSW, LCSW, Doctoral student, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Hillary Peregrina, MA, AM, Doctoral Student, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Lalaine Sevillano, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor, Portland State University, Portland, OR

Cora de Leon, PhD, MPH, LCSW, Clinical Assistant Professor, New York University, New York, NY

Kari Tabag, PhD, LCSW-R, Adjunct Faculty, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY

Raiza Beltran, PhD, MPH, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Michelle Fortunado-Kewin, DSW, MSW, LCSW, PPSC, Adjunct Faculty, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

Kristen Mai-anh Stewart, Student, Saint Francis High School, Mountain View, CA

Carina Katigbak, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAHA, Associate Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX

Background: Three centuries of Spanish rule and the ongoing U.S. colonization of the Philippines engender what scholars describe as colonial mentality (CM) among Filipinos and its diaspora. Colonial mentality contends that Filipinos have internalized oppression related to colonial exposure that is passed on intergenerationally, influencing their psyche and behaviors. This manifests in preferences for Western features, beliefs, and behaviors. Emerging studies show CM is associated with poor mental health, negative help-seeking behaviors, and decreased ethnic identity development. This study aims to extend the literature on CM by examining its associations with psychological distress, social isolation, and sleep, given the established relationships of these health outcomes.

Methods: We used data from the Filipinx Americans in Massachusetts Health Study (June-March 2020). Participants completed an online survey using Qualtrics. The primary exposure variable was the Colonial Mentality Scale, a 36-item measure (five subscales: within-group discrimination, physical characteristics, colonial debt, cultural shame, and internalized cultural/ethnic inferiority) with higher scores indicating higher levels of CM. Dependent variables were the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, a 10-item scale that measured levels of distress; Lubben Social Network Scale, a 12-item scale measuring social isolation; and an item from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to measure insomnia. Covariates included age, gender, sexual orientation, educational level, and distress were adjusted for the latter two outcomes. We performed linear and logistic regressions using Stata 17.

Results: Of the 148 participants, the mean CM was 64.34 (SD=22.22; range=36-170), mean distress was 23.01 (SD=8.67; range=10-46), mean social isolation was 18.12 (SD=8.24; range=4-30), and 27% reported insomnia. Within-group discrimination (β=0.22; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.51) and internalized cultural/ethnic inferiority (β=0.26; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.74) were associated with increased distress. Physical characteristics (β=-0.19; 95% CI: -0.22, -0.01), colonial debt (β=-0.23; 95% CI: -0.29, -0.04), cultural shame (β=-0.19; 95% CI: -0.52, -0.03), and CM (β=-0.21; 95% CI: -0.08, -0.01) were associated with decreased social isolation. Cultural shame was associated with increased odds of insomnia (OR=1.12; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.26). The Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) for all models were below 2.0 indicating low multicollinearity.

Conclusions and Implications: An increased likelihood of distress and insomnia was associated with some CM subscales, while others were associated with a decreased likelihood of social isolation. Findings underscore the reverberating effects of colonization and intergenerational trauma on Filipinx American health outcomes. Social workers may leverage our results to strategically intervene and interrupt the transmission of CM through intergenerational trauma by fostering critical consciousness and promoting a positive ethnic identity to address the deleterious effects of CM. Future studies should similarly examine the well-being of minoritized ethnic groups and the impact of their colonial history; doing so may identify means of healing that are rooted in their cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices.