University Honors

Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) in Asian American families is understudied. This study addresses that gap by focusing on Korean American families. Prior research shows an association between ERS and mental health, although these studies primarily focused on effects in childhood. This paper examines the effects on emerging adulthood. The results stem from a qualitative analysis of interviews with 20 Korean American young adults, aged 18-25 years, from Southern California. We assessed parentsí messages about racism, Asian Americans, and other people of color, received while growing up, and their relation to participantsí current mental health. We found that all but one participant described messages about racism as a problem. However, when participants also received messages minimizing racism and denigrating other groups of color, they described having negative mental health outcomes. We also found that some participants who described messages denigrating other groups of color also described messages characterizing either Korean Americans or Asian Americans as a model minority. The relation to negative mental health may be explained by parentsí lack of preparation of their children for racialized experiences and discrimination, either through their minimization of the threat or by suggesting that Korean American/Asian American superiority obviates the need to personally prepare for bias or collectively respond to systemic racism. We will discuss the implications for practice, including health-promoting family discussions about ethnicity and race.