Cultural Risk and Protective Factors for Depressive Symptoms in Asian American College Students
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QUALITATIVE REVIEW
Cultural Risk and Protective Factors for Depressive Symptoms in Asian American College Students Miglia Cornejo1 · Shubh Agrawal2 · Justin Chen3,4 · Albert Yeung3,4 · Nhi‑Ha Trinh3,4 Received: 19 December 2018 / Accepted: 25 February 2019 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Abstract Adolescence is a time of grappling with one’s identity. Asian American college students in particular must navigate their dual cultural identities, as they develop in a dominant Western individualistic culture that prioritizes autonomy, but they also generally adhere to the cultural norms of their collectivistic family traditions. By identifying these cultural factors, the specific developmental challenges of this group can be better understood. Yet, few studies have synthesized the specific cultural factors associated with depressive symptoms and protective factors that might mitigate risk for Asian American college students. A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted to identify factors relevant to depression in Asian American college students. After applying strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 individual articles were included. The cultural risk factors for depression include high levels of perceived racial discrimination, acculturative stress, conflict in values, interdependence, and intergenerational differences. The cultural protective factors included possessing a strong ethnic identity, cultural individualism, and acculturation to the United States. This comprehensive review highlights the importance of cultural identity development in Asian American college students. Limitations include the relative dearth of high-quality research; future studies are needed to better understand the cultural developmental challenges of the Asian American college student community. Keywords Asian American · Depression · Culture · Identity · College students
Introduction Adolescent development in Western cultures is thought to be a highly personal process in which young adults individuate themselves from their families; the major task for adolescents is to explore, experiment, and engage in dynamic identity development (Erikson 1963; Triandis 1995). In contrast, this process can be quite different for Asian American adolescents (Kim 1981; Sue and Sue 2013). As Asian Americans (who self-identify with ethnicities originally * Nhi‑Ha Trinh [email protected] 1
Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
2
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
3
MGH Depression Clinical and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, One Bowdoin Square, Sixth floor, Boston, MA 02114, USA
4
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
from East, Southeast, and South Asia) are relatively new immigrants to the United States, many Asian American youth are either first-generation (born outside of the United States) or second-generation immigrants (at least one parent was born outside of the United States). Asian American you
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