Gersick, Sarah (1/15) Psychological independence: risk and resiliency in emerging adult Asian-American immigrants (Kevin B. Meehan, Ph.D.; Inga Reznik, Ph.D.; Nicholas Papouchis, Ph.D.)
"Paradoxical" poorer functioning in later-generation Asian Americans has been tentatively attributed to intergenerational cultural conflict. Psychological independence was proposed as a buffer between acculturative stress (one factor in intergenerational cultural conflict) and mental health. It was hypothesized that acculturative stress, differentiation of self, and ego identity status would directly impact psychological health and sociocultural adaptation in Asian American immigrants, and that differentiation of self and ego identity status would moderate the effects of acculturative stress on mental health. Exploratory hypotheses tested the impact of psychological independence on stability of mood and self-esteem in response to in-vivo acculturative stress. Participants were 119 1.5- or 2nd-generation Asian American emerging adults. More acculturative stress and lower differentiation of self were significantly correlated with greater psychopathology. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed that more acculturative stress, lower differentiation of self, and ego identity status significantly predicted poorer school adjustment, controlling for immigrant generation and heritage acculturation level. Hierarchical linear regression tests of moderation were not significant, but differentiation of self showed significant indirect buffering effects between acculturative stress and both symptoms and school adjustment. Greater differentiation of self significantly predicted more stable happiness in response to in-vivo acculturative stress, controlling for baseline mood. No variable significantly predicted other adaptation measures. Ego identity status did not significantly predict psychopathology. Differentiation of self did not significantly predict other mood or self-esteem stability in-vivo. These findings contribute to the understanding of risk factors and resiliency in Asian American immigrant youth.
