UC Irvine

This study examined the potential mediating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between ethnic identity and well-being for Asian Americans. Data were collected from 645 Asian American students at a large west coast university in the United States (81% female, mean age = 21.23 years). Mediation analysis indicated that detachment from social support as a coping strategy was a consistent partial mediator for all three indices of well-being outcomes (depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction), whereas education and advocacy was a partial mediator only for depression. These results contribute to the theoretical framework of coping with discrimination, highlight the need for a more comprehensive scale to assess coping strategies in the context of discrimination, and have practical implications for interventions related to Asian Americans’ coping with discrimination.