Examining the unique impacts of Potentially Traumatic Experiences (PTE) and discrimination events on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Multiracial/ethnic adults in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Suicide and PTSD are pressing public health issues in the US, with discrimination and potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs) influencing mental health. However, the unique effects of these factors on Multiracial/ethnic adults' PTSD and suicidal thoughts/behaviors (STB) are not thoroughly researched. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, an online survey was conducted (N = 1012) from October to December 2022. Multivariable logistic regression models analyzed relationships between PTEs, discriminatory events, and mental health outcomes, accounting for sociodemographics. RESULTS: After adjusting for demographics, exposure to PTEs and discrimination correlated with heightened odds of PTSD and STB. Individual lifetime discrimination experiences and specific PTEs demonstrated varying associations with STB and PTSD. The study underscores discrimination's relevance as a risk factor. LIMITATIONS: The study's cross-sectional nature restricts causality or temporality interpretations. Moreover, the convenience sample of English-speaking online participants might not be reflective of all Multiracial/ethnic US adults. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore PTEs and discrimination's interconnectedness in Multiracial/ethnic mental health outcomes. Discrimination might pose similar risks to PTEs. Acknowledging discrimination as potential precursors for PTSD and STB aids accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning. Incorporating racial/ethnic discrimination and traumatic experiences into PTSD conceptualization and assessment is pivotal. This knowledge informs tailored interventions and mental health education for this population.

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).

Family connectedness and sexual minority Asian Americans' eating behavior regulation.

To date, psychosocial and interpersonal protective factors such as family connectedness have received little attention in studies of eating behaviors among sexual minority Asian Americans. Therefore, we investigated associations of family connectedness and two types of eating behavior regulation motives and the moderating role of individualism in these associations among 134 sexual minority Asian American young adults. Linear regression models assessed the main and interaction effects of family connectedness and individualism on introjected and identified eating behavior regulation motives. We observed a significant interaction effect between family connectedness and individualism only on introjected regulation. For participants with low levels of individualism, those who reported high levels of family connectedness had lower scores for introjected regulation of eating behavior. The findings of this study highlight the importance of examining strengths related to sexual minority Asian Americans by demonstrating the important role family connectedness plays in eating behavior regulation motives, particularly for those with lower individualism.

The relationship between mother and father racial-ethnic socialization profiles and family cohesion and sociopolitical values among Asian American adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Although research on racial-ethnic socialization with Asian American families examines academic and psychological outcomes, less is known about whether messages from mothers and fathers are related to their adolescent's Asian American sociopolitical values and family cohesion. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 308 Asian American adolescents, ages 14-18, in the United States in 2021 (Mage = 16.83; standard deviation = 1.15). RESULTS: Using latent profile analysis, we found that there were three socialization profiles for mothers (integration socialization, moderate separation socialization, and high separation socialization) and two for fathers (integration socialization and high separation socialization). The integration socialization reported more maintenance of heritage culture and becoming American messages, with the lowest reports of awareness of discrimination and avoidance of outgroups. The high separation profile had the highest amount of maintenance of heritage culture messages, awareness of discrimination, and avoidance of outgroups but lowest amount of becoming American messages. Looking at profiles for youths' perceptions of mothers, the moderate separation profile had slightly lower scores on maintenance of heritage culture messages, moderate scores on avoidance of outgroups, and higher reports of becoming American and awareness of discrimination compared to the high separation profile. Adolescents with mothers in the integration profile had the greatest mother-child cohesion and highest level of sociopolitical values. With fathers, Asian American adolescents reported greater father-child cohesion in the integration profile, but there were no differences between socialization profiles and youth's Asian American sociopolitical values. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of parental messages on both identity outcomes (i.e., sociopolitical values) and family processes (i.e., family cohesion).

An exploratory mixed methods study of multiracial Americans' race choices on the 2020 census.

OBJECTIVES: We asked Multiracial emerging adults' about how they racially identified on the 2020 census, why they checked those boxes, their feelings about the options available to them, and how they would change the census options. After identifying the different themes, we looked at how groups differed on outcomes of Multiracial experiences, critical reflection, and self-esteem. METHOD: We recruited a sample of 424 Multiracial emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 29 (67.1% female, Mage = 23.5). They responded to short-answer questions and survey items. Short-answer responses were coded into categories based on the themes identified, and associations with scales were examined using an analysis of variance and t test. RESULTS: Three themes were identified for reasons for selections on the census: identity-driven, accuracy-driven, and externally driven. Five themes represented participants' feelings about the census options, which were narrowed down to two themes (okay with the census options vs. add more census options). The accuracy-driven group reported higher scores for shifting racial expressions, challenges with racial identity, and critical reflection, as well as lower scores for self-esteem. In addition, individuals who wanted more options added to the census scored higher on challenges with racial identity and critical reflection. CONCLUSIONS: Multiracial emerging adults who seek to objectively report their racial background on the census regardless of how they identify shift racial expressions and report lower self-esteem, and like those who want more options added to the census, they experience more identity challenges but are more racially aware. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Race terminology in the field of psychology: Acknowledging the growing multiracial population in the U.S.

The field of psychology is coming toward a critical juncture; scholars are increasingly recognizing that race, ethnicity, and culture play important roles in their fields of study, but do not always have the language to integrate race and culture into their own work. Furthermore, common conceptions of race may systematically exclude those from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds in favor of fixed and discrete racial categories that ultimately perpetuate white supremacy. Meanwhile, as the Multiracial population of the U.S. is growing at an unprecedented rate, psychologists need language to acknowledge this population in their studies and pursue research to advance the field's knowledge of this diverse group and its many subpopulations. In an attempt to educate psychologists across subfields and disciplines, we provide a detailed account of preferred terms related to race and ethnicity with emphasis on ways to think about and talk about Multiracial populations in the United States. While preferred terms may change across time, the aim of this article is to provide psychologists with the tools to begin nuanced and necessary discussions about how race informs their research and the populations they work with in uniform and nonstigmatizing ways. By highlighting terminology related to those of multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds, we demystify and legitimize these rapidly growing but often hidden populations. Different perspectives on various terms are provided throughout to set psychologists on the path to beginning more race-conscious conversations and scientific inquiries into the experiences of Multiracial Americans and those from other marginalized racial-ethnic groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Profiles of Racial Socialization Messages from Mothers and Fathers and The Colorblind and Anti-Black Attitudes of Asian American Adolescents.

Racial equality requires coalitions and solidarity across racial groups, but there continues to be racially colorblind and anti-Black attitudes within the Asian American community, a diverse community consisting of individuals with ancestral origins in East, Southeast, and South Asia. However, there is limited research on the factors that contribute to the development of these attitudes among Asian Americans. Parents could potentially play an important role in perpetuating or challenging the colorblind and anti-Black messages that pervade U.S. society. Thus, the current study investigates how 309 Asian American adolescents' (M age = 16.8; SD = 1.15; 50.5% female) perceptions of parents' racial socialization messages about race and racism relate to the youth's racial attitudes. Latent profiles of youth's perceptions of mothers' and fathers' racial socialization messages and their associations with colorblind racial attitudes and anti-Black attitudes were examined. For mothers, three socialization profiles were identified: Race Avoidant, Race Hesitant, and Race Embracing; for fathers, two socialization profiles were identified: Race Avoidant and Race Embracing. Adolescents with Race Embracing mothers reported less anti-Black attitudes compared to those who had Race Hesitant mothers. For fathers, there were no differences among the profiles and anti-Black attitudes. However, surprisingly, adolescents with Race Embracing fathers were more likely to have colorblind racial attitudes compared to those with Race Avoidant fathers. The findings highlight the importance of racial socialization in the development of Asian American adolescents' racial attitudes to continue fighting for interracial solidarity.

A qualitative examination of familial racial-ethnic socialization experiences among multiracial American emerging adults.

This qualitative interview study investigated the types of parental racial-ethnic socialization messages received by Multiracial American youth over the course of their development. The Multiracial population in America is the largest demographic group among individuals under the age of 18 (Saulny, 2011), but there is a dearth of research about the development of this rapidly growing population. Multiracial youth are members of multiple racial-ethnic groups. Thus, racial-ethnic socialization is particularly complex for Multiracial families because parents typically have different racial backgrounds and experiences compared to their children. Interviews were conducted with 20 Multiracial emerging adult college students (Mage = 20.55; 10 male, 10 female) of diverse racial backgrounds to identify the types of parental racial-ethnic socialization messages they received growing up. Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), nine themes of racial-ethnic socialization content emerged: Cultural socialization, racial identity socialization, preparation for bias socialization, colorblind socialization, race-conscious socialization, diversity appreciation socialization, negative socialization, exposure to diversity socialization, and silent socialization. This research advances the literature by (a) identifying domains of racial-ethnic socialization messages for Multiracial American families, (b) examining a diverse sample of male and female Multiracial youth, (c) differentiating monoracial versus Multiracial socialization messages, and (d) distinguishing the unique connotations of egalitarian socialization messages (e.g., colorblind, race-conscious, diversity appreciation). The findings have important implications for understanding the development of Multiracial American individuals and families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the Multiracial Youth Socialization (MY-Soc) Scale among racially diverse multiracial emerging adults.

Multiracial children are the largest demographic group in the United States among individuals under the age of 18 (Pew Research Center, 2015), but their developmental processes are understudied. Parents and caregivers play an important role in preparing youth to navigate racialized society by teaching them to understand what it means to be a member of a racial-ethnic group (Hughes et al., 2006). However, this process is more complex in multiracial families, where youth belong to multiple racial-ethnic groups. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to develop and validate the first measure of racial-ethnic socialization for Multiracial youth, the Multiracial Youth Socialization (MY-Soc) Scale, to assess the unique messages that are communicated in multiracial families regarding topics of race, ethnicity, and culture. Using a sample of 901 Multiracial emerging adults (mage = 22.43), we separately captured the socialization practices of two of the youths' primary caregivers from the youths' perspective. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 62-item scale measuring eight types of socialization: Navigating Multiple Heritages Socialization, Multiracial Identity Socialization, Preparation for Monoracism Socialization, Negative Socialization, Colorblind Socialization, Diversity Appreciation Socialization, Race-Conscious Socialization, and Silent Socialization. The MY-Soc Scale was also supported by validity and reliability tests. This study contributes an important tool for scholars and practitioners to learn which racial-ethnic socialization messages are promotive for Multiracial youth development in different contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining Multiracial Pride, Identity-based Challenges, and Discrimination: An Exploratory Investigation among Biracial Emerging Adults.

This study investigated the main and interactive effects of identity-based challenges, discrimination, and Multiracial pride on psychological distress in Biracial emerging adults. Additionally, we examined whether these associations may differ by Biracial sub-group (e.g., Black-White, Asian-White, Latinx-White, and minority-minority) given their unique racial experiences. Participants were 326 Biracial emerging adults (Mage = 19.57 years old; 75.2% female) recruited from three public universities in the United States for an online survey. For all Biracial groups, identity-based challenges were associated with greater psychological distress. After testing a series of competing multi-group regression models, results indicated that the relations between distress and our predictors: identity-based challenges, discrimination, and Multiracial pride do indeed differ across Biracial sub-group. The most apparent and unique differences were displayed by the Black-White Biracial sub-group. These findings highlight identity-based challenges as a unique risk in the Biracial population and suggest that a principled comparison between Biracial sub-groups is necessary to tease apart group-specific associations between these constructs and psychological distress.

Development of a support for Black Lives Matter measure among racially-ethnically diverse college students.

This paper developed and validated a new measure of support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement among a racially-ethnically diverse sample of college students. The measure focuses on the movement's principles of Black liberation, intersectionality, and alliance building. Participants included 1934 college students (75% female) from a large public Southwestern university. The factor structure was supported by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, resulting in an 18-item measure, Support for Black Lives Matter, with two underlying factors. Black Liberation includes 12 items representing support for BLM because of awareness of and challenging structural inequality and racism experienced by Black individuals. Intersectional Values includes six items representing support for BLM because it embraces and affirms marginalized populations within the Black community, especially disabled Blacks, queer Blacks, Black women, and Black families with children. Evidence of criterion-related validity was demonstrated with racial group differences in support of BLM factors. Evidence of convergent validity was supported by significant positive correlations between support for BLM factors and critical consciousness (including awareness of racism, classism, and heterosexism), and negative correlations between support for BLM factors and subtle racist attitudes toward Blacks. Measurement invariance was evident between White, Black, Asian American, Latinx, and Multiracial participants. Implications and suggestions for use of the new measure are discussed.

Patterns of racial-ethnic socialization in Asian American families: Associations with racial-ethnic identity and social connectedness.

As Asian Americans continue to be one of the fastest growing populations in a rapidly diversifying United States (Lee, 2015), understanding how Asian American parents socialize their children about race and racism and how this contributes to development remains an important question (Chang, 2016; García Coll et al., 1996). Using a sample of 228 Asian American emerging adults (70% female, Mage = 20.23), we examined profiles of parental racial-ethnic socialization messages and their relationships with racial-ethnic identity and social connectedness outcomes. Results suggested 3 profiles. The guarded separation socialization group reported receiving the most frequent messages about maintaining their heritage culture and avoiding outgroups. The passive and active integration socialization groups also received frequent messages about maintaining heritage culture, but very few messages about avoiding outgroups or minimizing the significance of race. The active integration socialization group received the most messages about becoming American, treating everyone equally, and respecting diverse cultures, compared to the passive integration socialization group, which reported receiving few of these messages. Participants in the active integration profile reported significantly higher levels of cognitive clarity and affective pride regarding their racial-ethnic identity compared to the other two profiles, while individuals in the passive and active integration profiles reported significantly higher levels of social connectedness than those in guarded separation profile. These findings highlight the importance of using a holistic lens to understand Asian American youths' perceptions of how their parents engage in racial-ethnic socialization across multiple domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The roles of ethnic identity and metastereotype awareness in the racial discrimination-psychological adjustment link for Asian Americans at predominantly White universities.

OBJECTIVES: The literature on Asian Americans yields mixed findings regarding the protective effects of ethnic identity on the racial discrimination-psychological distress link (Park, Schwartz, Lee, Kim, & Rodriguez, 2013). This study introduces metastereotype awareness (MSA; the awareness one has regarding stereotypes others hold of their group) into this relationship, focusing on the stereotype of Asians as unsociable. METHOD: We examined a 3-way interaction between racial discrimination, ethnic identity commitment, and MSA on a latent psychological distress variable among a sample of Asian American emerging adults attending predominantly White universities (N = 276, 60% female, mean age = 20). RESULTS: Structural equation modeling suggested a significant 3-way interaction in which the protective role of ethnic identity commitment varied depending on the level of MSA. Specifically, high levels of ethnic identity commitment buffered the racial discrimination-psychological distress link for individuals reporting high levels of MSA. Furthermore, low levels of ethnic identity commitment buffered the discrimination-psychological distress link for Asian American students reporting low levels of MSA. In contrast, a positive link between discrimination and psychological distress persisted for Asian American students reporting a combination of high ethnic identity and low MSA and vice versa. CONCLUSION: In summary, Asian American college students who had high levels of both ethnic identity commitment and MSA or low levels on both variables were protected from psychological distress associated with racial discrimination. These findings illuminate the nuanced relationship between racial discrimination, ethnic identity commitment, and MSA in predicting psychological distress outcomes for Asian Americans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

What types of racial messages protect Asian American adolescents from discrimination? A latent interaction model.

In this brief report, the authors investigate how different types of parental racial-ethnic socialization messages (i.e., cultural socialization/pluralism, promotion of mistrust, and preparation for racial bias) moderate the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological distress in a sample of 187 Asian American adolescents. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between racial discrimination and psychological distress. Cultural socialization/pluralism and promotion of mistrust also moderated the racial discrimination and psychological distress link. Specifically, for adolescents reporting low frequencies of cultural socialization/pluralism messages, discrimination was positively associated with psychological distress, suggesting cultural socialization/pluralism messages may be a protective factor. Discrimination was also positively associated with psychological distress for adolescents reporting high frequencies of promotion of mistrust, suggesting that promotion of mistrust may be a risk factor. Overall, the findings emphasize the important role that racial-ethnic socialization messages can have on psychological distress among Asian American adolescents who experience racial discrimination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Do we overemphasize the role of culture in the behavior of racial/ethnic minorities? Evidence of a cultural (mis)attribution bias in American psychology.

Although culture influences all human beings, there is an assumption in American psychology that culture matters more for members of certain groups. This article identifies and provides evidence of the cultural (mis)attribution bias: a tendency to overemphasize the role of culture in the behavior of racial/ethnic minorities, and to underemphasize it in the behavior of Whites. Two studies investigated the presence of this bias with an examination of a decade of peer reviewed research conducted in the United States (N = 434 articles), and an experiment and a survey with psychology professors in the United States (N = 361 psychologists). Archival analyses revealed differences in the composition of samples used in studies examining cultural or noncultural psychological phenomena. We also find evidence to suggest that psychologists in the United States favor cultural explanations over psychological explanations when considering the behavior and cognition of racial/ethnic minorities, whereas the opposite pattern emerged in reference to Whites. The scientific ramifications of this phenomenon, as well as alternatives to overcome it, are discussed in detail. (PsycINFO Database Record