An Exploratory Analysis of Linguistic Acculturation, Neighborhood, and Risk Behaviors Among Children of Southeast Asian
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An Exploratory Analysis of Linguistic Acculturation, Neighborhood, and Risk Behaviors Among Children of Southeast Asian Immigrants Christina Tam • Bridget Freisthler
Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract Southeast Asian youth are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system, and yet little is known about the correlates of their delinquency. Predicated upon segmented assimilation theory, the aims of this study were (1) to examine the relationship between linguistic acculturation and risk behaviors and (2) to investigate neighborhood effects on risk behaviors among a sample of 153 at-risk Southeast Asian youth and young adults recruited from the East Bay Area near San Francisco, California. Exploratory factor analysis from estimated Census data derived neighborhood constructs for concentrated disadvantage and immigrant concentration. A series of binary logistic regression models suggested that linguistic acculturation, neighborhood disadvantage, and immigrant concentration were not related to violence perpetration, arrest, or gang association. Males and those who had dropped out of school were more likely to report acts that are associated with delinquency. Findings suggest that scholars and policymakers should continue to use disaggregated ethnic data to implement culturally competent practices that are reflective of the respective groups’ cultural backgrounds and migration histories. Implications for further research and practice among children of Southeast Asian immigrants are discussed. Keywords Southeast Asian youth Neighborhood effects Segmented assimilation Delinquency Acculturation C. Tam (&) B. Freisthler Department of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, USA e-mail: [email protected] B. Freisthler e-mail: [email protected]
Introduction Among all Asian arrests in the United States, there is a higher proportion of juvenile arrests (15 %) compared to other racial groups, including Whites (12 %) and African Americans (14 %) (Puzzanchera and Adams 2011). Southeast Asian youth and young adults up to the age of 24, young people whose families originated from Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, are disproportionately represented in the justice system among Asian subgroups (Krisberg 2005; Arifuku et al. 2006). However, due to the aggregate nature of data collection, Southeast Asians are often combined with other Asian ethnic groups that are stereotyped as the successful model minority (Ngo and Lee 2007). Thus, little is known about Southeast Asian participation in behaviors related to delinquency, or acts that cause harm to individuals or the community (Shoemaker 2009). Children of Southeast Asian immigrants are at risk for poor adjustment as they confront the challenges of negotiating both host and ethnic cultures (Ying and Han 2007; Ho 2008). Part of this negotiation is the result of acculturation, a process by which psychological and cultural change occurs from the contact between two different cultural groups and their members (Berry 1980).
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