Youth-directed racial socialization : developmental processes that contribute to second-generation Asian American youth’s racial-ethnic socialization messages to parents

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Puja Patel (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Gabriela Livas Stein

Abstract: Asian Americans are the fastest growing monoracial group within the United States (U.S.; Pew Research Center, 2021), yet little is known about how Asian American families dialogue around integrating into a racially conscious society. Moreover, youth’s role as initiators of conversations on race and ethnicity has largely been overlooked in the study of racial-ethnic socialization (RES). To address this gap in the literature, the current dissertation characterized the types of messages second-generation Asian American youth (n = 408; Mage= 21.04) provide their parents related to race and ethnicity (i.e., youth-directed RES) by creating and validating the adolescent-directed RES (ADRES) measure. Further, experiences of racial-ethnic discrimination, racial-ethnic identity, critical reflection, and internalized model minority myth were examined to better understand how these facilitators were associated with the frequency of youth-directed RES. Factor and preliminary validity analyses indicated that youth-directed maintenance of heritage culture (i.e., cultural socialization), awareness of discrimination (i.e., preparation for bias, avoidance of other minoritized groups, and avoidance of White people were distinct factors. Further, with regards to facilitators, results indicated that all four types of youth-directed RES messages were positively associated with discriminatory experiences. Additionally, public regard was associated with greater maintenance of heritage culture. Interestingly, avoidance of other minoritized groups was provided at a greater frequency when the youth endorsed internalized model minority myth, whereas youth who endorsed higher critical reflection provided fewer such messages. Taken together, the results of the current study highlight the youth’s active role in RES as well as the complex racialized experiences faced by second-generation Asian American youth. Broadly, this study opens up several avenues for future investigation that require a sophisticated understanding of personal, interpersonal, familial, and systemic processes that impact Asian American youth.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2024
Keywords
Adolescent-directed Racial-ethnic Socialization, Critical Consciousness, Internalized Model Minority Myth, Racial-ethnic Identity
Subjects
Asian Americans $x Family relationships
Asian Americans $x Ethnic identity
Asian Americans $x Socialization

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