Session: Disrupting the Model Minority Stereotype from Community-Based Research to Advocacy at the Capitol (Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference)

Background: Burgeoning evidence demonstrates that Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) college students are experiencing dramatic increases in adverse mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Stigma around mental health help-seeking and the model minority stereotype contribute to the underutilization of mental health support among AANHPI college students, compounding mental health concerns. This symposium illuminates the complex challenges faced by AANHPI students in higher education, examining the intersections of racial discrimination, mental health, and educational advocacy.

Methods: The three papers showcase complementary methodologies (i.e., quantitative analyses, community-based participatory action research, and the development of a legislative advocacy framework) to offer a collaborative approach that bridges the gaps between academia, community, and policy. Across all papers, there is a strong emphasis on engagement with community members, students, educators, and policymakers.

Results: Paper one examines COVID-19-related racial discrimination and mental health outcomes of APIDA college students and the role of ethnic identity as a moderator in this relationship. Results indicated significant associations between COVID-19-related racial discrimination and symptoms of depression and anxiety among the overall sample. They also highlighted the complex role of ethnic identity as a moderator as evidenced by significant differences across ethnic subgroups.

Paper two focuses on college students in the southern U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest four themes: 1) mind-body health connection and the experience that mental health is about the synchronization of one’s mind and body; 2) environmental connectedness and the view that mental health is connected to nature; 3) social connectedness and how interpersonal relationships influenced mental health; and 4) internalization of the “good Asian student� stereotype and its impact on mental health. Collectively, findings suggest that mental health may fluctuate between different states: harmonious, disjointed, or restorative based on the cohesion of mental, physical, and universal connectedness.

Paper 3 provides a framework for legislative advocacy bridging the gap between the community and their state’s capitol. The Macapugay-Villavicencio Community to Capitol Advocacy Framework lays a series of actions for advocates to follow, based on the successful creation of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Student Achievement Program (SAP). With the historic passing of California Education Code Section 79510 for the California Community Colleges and Section 89297 for California State Universities, the SAP provides culturally responsive services to enhance student educational experiences and promote higher education success for low-income, underserved, and first-generation AANHPI students and other underrepresented students, the first state fund of its kind in the United States.

Conclusions: The symposium underscores the critical need for culturally responsive, evidence-based practices and policies to support the mental health and educational success of AANHPI students. It highlights the need for nuanced understanding and support mechanisms for AANHPI students to explore and develop their ethnic identity; the potential for photovoice and other interventions to enhance student wellbeing by fostering their self-expression and community dialogue; and the success of the Community to Capitol Advocacy Framework (CCAF) which serves as a guide for future legislative advocacy.