Navigating puberty, identity, and race among transnationally, transracially adopted Korean American adolescents.

This exploratory study examined the relation between pubertal timing and dimensions of ethnic-racial identity among adopted Korean Americans raised transracially in White families. The study also examined whether internalized racism moderated the association between pubertal timing and ethnic-racial identity. Adopted Korean American adolescents (N = 202; 108 females; ages 13-19 years) completed measures of pubertal development, ethnic-racial identity, and internalized racism in 2007. There was no significant main effect of pubertal timing for either male or female adolescents. Internalized racism moderated the relation between pubertal timing and ethnic-racial identity clarity (B = -.16, p = .015) among male adolescents. Specifically, earlier pubertal timing was significantly associated with lower ethnic-racial identity clarity for male adolescents with higher levels of internalized racism.

Family-based and external discrimination experienced by multiracial individuals: Links to internalizing symptoms and familial support.

Multiracial individuals are exposed to many forms of interpersonal racial discrimination, including general discrimination against their monoracial groups and discrimination against being multiracial. Because their families include members of different racial groups, multiracial people may also be exposed to various forms of discrimination from within the family. In the present study, we leverage recent advances in latent profile analysis to identify distinct patterns of family-based and external (i.e., from outside the family unit) discrimination experienced by multiracial college students, the differential impacts of these discrimination patterns on depressive and anxiety symptoms, and whether parental support of participants' multiracial experiences and identity impacts their exposure to different forms of discrimination. In a sample of 635 diverse multiracial college students (Mage = 21.2, SD = 5.3, range = 18-57, 74.0% female) from three U.S. universities, we identified three distinct discrimination profiles: High External and Familial Discrimination (43.2%), Average External Low Familial Discrimination (32.1%), and Low External and Familial Discrimination (24.7%). Profiles differed in depressive and anxiety symptomatology, with those in the High External and Familial Discrimination profile displaying the worst outcomes. Parental support of multiracial experiences was associated with lower levels of family-based discrimination. The complex relations between parental support, family-based discrimination, and multiracial participants' internalizing symptomology are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A Culturally Sensitive Social Support Intervention for Chinese American Breast Cancer Survivors (Joy Luck Academy): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among Asian American women. Chinese American immigrant breast cancer survivors face unique challenges because of cultural and socioecological factors. They report emotional distress and the need for social, emotional, and spiritual support. However, culturally and linguistically appropriate information for managing survivorship health care is often unavailable. OBJECTIVE: To improve the health outcomes for this underserved and understudied population, we developed, designed, and launched a randomized controlled trial to test the health benefits of a culturally sensitive social support intervention (Joy Luck Academy). In this paper, we describe the research protocol. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial will enroll Chinese-speaking, stage 0 to 3 breast cancer survivors who have completed treatment within the previous 36 months using a community-based participatory research approach. We will randomly assign 168 participants to the intervention or control group. The intervention arm will attend 7 weekly 3.5-hour peer mentor and educational sessions. The control group will receive the educational information. We will assess health outcomes at baseline, immediately after the Joy Luck Academy, and at 1- and 4-month follow-ups. The primary outcome is quality of life, as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy scale. Secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms, positive affect, fatigue, and perceived stress. We will also explore how the intervention influences cortisol levels. To identify how and to whom the program is effective, we will measure social and personal resources and theorized mechanisms and perform qualitative interviews with a subsample of participants to enhance the interpretation of quantitative data. RESULTS: Recruitment began in February 2015, and data collection was completed in February 2019. We expect to complete data management by August 2021 and publish results in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: If the Joy Luck Academy is demonstrated to be effective, it may be easily disseminated as an intervention for other groups of Asian American immigrant breast cancer survivors. Furthermore, similar programs could be integrated into other diverse communities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02946697; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02946697. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/30950.

Hidden among the hidden: Transracially adopted Korean American adults raising multiracial children.

The parenting practices of both transracially adopted Korean American adults and multiracial families are often overlooked in developmental science, yet are important to address, given that the majority of Korean adoptees are now adults with families of their own and given rapid increases in the multiracial population. This qualitative study examined the cultural socialization beliefs and practices among transracially adopted Korean Americans who are parents of multiracial Asian-White children. Drawing upon interviews with 31 Korean adoptee parents (29 female; Mage = 41.26), we identified four themes that capture parents' understanding of their children's multiracial identities, how that understanding subsequently shapes their cultural socialization practices, and how parents' socialization beliefs and practices vary by developmental stage. These themes described the ways that parents' cultural socialization practices were shaped by their children's phenotypes, parents' understanding of their children's multiracial identities, geographic location, and the multiracial family context. This study also demonstrated how multiracial couples in our sample engaged in cultural socialization together. Results suggest that Korean adoptee parents largely acknowledged their children's multiracial identities through labels, but primarily socialized children as monoracial minorities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Successful Strategies for Engaging Chinese Breast Cancer Survivors in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Chinese immigrant breast cancer survivors face various challenges due to cultural and socioecological factors. Research efforts to develop culturally sensitive interventions have been limited by lack of knowledge regarding successful recruitment and implementation practices among Chinese immigrant populations. This paper documents strategies utilized during the development and implementation of a randomized controlled trial of a culturally sensitive psychosocial intervention for Chinese immigrant breast cancer survivors. In partnership with a community agency, we developed culturally and linguistically appropriate research materials, recruited participants from community channels, and conducted longitudinal data collection. Key strategies include building equitable research partnerships with community agencies to engage participants; being responsive to the needs of community agencies and participants; considering within-group diversity of the research population; utilizing recruitment as an opportunity for relationship-building with participants; and developing key strategies to promote retention. Successful participant engagement in cancer intervention research is the result of collaboration among breast cancer survivors, community leaders and agencies, and academic researchers. The engagement process for this study is novel because we have emphasized cultural factors in the process and taken a relational approach to recruitment and retention.