Self-construal and socio-emotional development among Vietnamese-American adolescents: An examination of different types of self-construal

Abstract

This study examined how four different types of self-construal affected perception of socio-emotional adjustment (i.e., anxiety, depression, distress, self-esteem, family cohesion, peer support, pro-substance abuse attitude) and perception of relationship with community (i.e., sense of community, adverse neighborhood) in a sample of 152 Vietnamese-American high-school adolescents. Using cluster analysis, the four-type self-construal model postulated by Kim, Hunter, Miyahara, Horvath, Bresnahan, & Yoon (1996) was replicated in this sample. The bicultural students (i.e., those with strong interdependent and independent self-construal) reported greater perceived adjustment across all measures except anxiety when compared to other groups (marginal, interdependent, and independent) in the study. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Relationship between bicultural identity and psychological well-being among American and Japanese older adults

“…This four-type self-construal model has since been used in a variety of contexts including conversational settings (Kim et al, 1996), dating relationships (Yum, 2004), socioemotional development among Vietnamese-American adolescents (Lam, 2006), and the impact of collective and individual self-esteem on subjective well-being among Chinese college students (Yu et al, 2014). These studies have indicated that possessing a bicultural identity influences individuals’ adjustment, cognition, and behaviors.…”

“…A few studies have explored the effects of bicultural self-construal on health and psychological well-being. In one of these studies, Lam (2006) found that among Vietnamese-American adolescents, those with bicultural self-construal exhibited higher levels of socioemotional adjustment on all measures except anxiety in comparison with their counterparts. To extend Lam’s work, this study focuses on the moderating effects and functions of bicultural identity (as one of the four types of self-construals) on health and psychological well-being among a large national sample of American and Japanese older adults.…”

Vietnamese Americans and Depression: A Health and Mental Health Concern

“…Recent studies on Vietnamese Americans' depression have focused on ethnic support in understanding the impact of self identity, racial discrimination, parental disciplines, migratory stress, and other risk factors on youth's mental health (Lam, 2006(Lam, , 2007Nguyen, 2008;McKelvey & Webb, 1996;Webb, McKelvey, & Strobel, 1997 Vietnamese refugees who had settled in the United States for two years or less and found a 55% prevalence rate. These two studies show that depression was closely related to cultural adjustment to a new country.…”

“…Even if Vietnamese Americans reach out to professional mental health treatment, they tend to terminate services prematurely before the situation has been stabilized. Family members fear that the Vietnamese community will become aware of their receipt of mental health treatment and the whole family will be stigmatized and shamed (Lam, 2006;Wagner et al, 2006;Yeung & Kam, 2006).…”

Mother-Adolescent Language Proficiency and Adolescent Academic and Emotional Adjustment Among Chinese American Families

“…A number of studies indicate that immigrant and minority youth who are bicultural tend to exhibit lower levels of acculturative stress, less depression, and higher academic achievement compared to youth with low or high levels of acculturation toward the host culture (Lam 2006; Bacallao and Smokowski 2005; Miranda and Umhoefer 1998; Feliciano 2001). Research on bilingualism has also found that children who are proficient in both their heritage language and English show clear advantages in cognitive flexibility over monolingual English children (Bialystok 1999; Bialystok and Codd 1997; Bialystok and Herman 1999; Bialystok et al 2005) and that these skills in turn confer advantages for later school achievement (Cummins 1979; Geva and Genessee 2006).…”