Second-generation Chinese American female undergraduates: Psychosociocultural correlates of well-being

Asian American Journal of Psychology / August 2020


This is an ethnic-, gender-, and generation-specific study, in which the psychosociocultural correlates of well-being for 129 second-generation Chinese American undergraduate females were examined. A 2 × 2 multivariate analysis of variance indicated that first-generation college lower division students had higher model minority internalization and values adherence than their continuing-generation college lower division peers, whereas continuing-generation college upper division students had higher model minority internalization and values adherence than their first-generation college upper division peers, respectively. The psychosociocultural dimensions were interrelated with significant covariate roots per canonical correlations. Results of a hierarchical regression revealed that the psychological (perfectionism, self-esteem, coping), social (parental expectations, family support, model minority internalization), and cultural dimensions (values enculturation, values acculturation, environment, congruity) collectively accounted for well-being, with the psychological dimension accounting for the largest portion of the variance (self-esteem and problem-focused coping as the strongest positive predictors). Implications for student services personnel working with Chinese American female undergraduates are provided.

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