Abstract
Asian Americans are simultaneously stereotyped as a perpetual foreigner and a model minority. This cross-sectional study of 308 Filipino American youth (mean age 18 years; 47% emerging adult; 72% U.S.-born; 57% female) and 340 Korean American youth (mean age 18 years; 39% emerging adult; 59% U.S.-born; 49% female) is the first to investigate both the direct and interactive effects of these seemingly opposite stereotypes on internalizing and externalizing outcomes, and how these relations differ by ethnicity, age group (adolescence vs. emerging adulthood), and nativity (foreign-born vs. U.S.-born). The results confirm that the perpetual foreigner stereotype predicts more internalizing problems, whereas aspects of the model minority stereotype (i.e., achievement orientation and unrestricted mobility) had different effects by ethnicity. Those who deeply internalize the model minority stereotype were found to be particularly vulnerable. Furthermore, the interactive effects of these stereotypes were more prominent during emerging adulthood than in adolescence, regardless of ethnicity. These nuanced and complex mechanisms need to be thoroughly understood in order to develop appropriate and effective public health or school interventions that can support Asian American young people in dealing with the harmful effects of racial stereotypes.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the study participants and the research team members for their continued commitment to enhance our understanding of Asian American youth development. This work was supported by grants from the US National Institute of Mental Health, T32MH019960 (M.P.) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, R01HD073200 (PI: Y.C.).
Authors’ contributions
M.P. conceived the study, performed the statistical analysis, interpreted the data, and drafted the original manuscript; Y.C. provided the dataset, edited the final draft, and provided feedback throughout the study; H.C.Y. edited the final draft and provided feedback throughout the study; M.Y. participated in interpretation of results and edited the final draft; D.T. contributed to the funding acquisition, participated in interpretation of results, and edited the final draft. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the US National Institute of Mental Health, T32MH019960 (M.P.) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, R01HD073200 (PI: Y.C.).
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Park, M., Choi, Y., Yoo, H.C. et al. Racial Stereotypes and Asian American Youth Paradox. J Youth Adolescence 50, 2374–2393 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01519-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01519-8